Love Interest
by pinkwonton
Summary: A story of the hijinks and heartbreak of Fred and George Weasley. GW/OC, FW/OC, CD/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Fred and George Weasley, for all of their splendor and trickery, were not necessarily ladies' men. They were, in fact, quite the opposite. Neither really dated nor had any particular interest in any of the girls at Hogwarts. It only added to their appeal, however, which made them chased but not chasers. The fact that every guy wanted to be them and that every girl wanted them made them the most popular boys at the school. Unintentionally, of course.

The only problem they had was with their studies. They were undoubtedly brilliant, but not when it came to homework. They were able to come up with so many tricks and traps and toys and treats but they did not apply any of their brilliance to their actual schoolwork. This exasperated both their parents and their Professors.

Finally, after a particularly hilarious display in her Transfiguration class courtesy of the twins only a month into classes, Professor McGonagall decided that their brains needed to be channeled at least until they graduated. She decided that they needed to be tutored. Knowing the twins quite well from the numerous detentions that they spent with her, she realized that this was not going to fly well with them but she knew that it was necessary. She took counsel with Professor Dumbledore who wholeheartedly agreed with her idea.

"Well, that's just fantastic!" the headmaster exclaimed.

So Professor McGonagall started her search for the twin's tutor. Hermione Granger was of course the first choice but Professor McGonagall knew that she and the twins didn't exactly get along all of the time and would probably be bickering most of the time and nothing would get done. Instead she found Onyx Atwood, who was perhaps just as smart as Hermione and also much easier to get along with. She was a quiet 6th year, as far as Professor McGonagall knew, and with little other obligations. The next time our good Professor saw our good little heroine she asked Onyx if she would mind tutoring the twins.

"Miss Atwood, a word please," she called to the girl as she saw her in the hall. McGonagall ushered her into her classroom.

"Yes Professor?" Onyx responded, tucking her black hair behind her ear, her grey eyes scanning McGonagall for any hint of why she was being called into the room. She was never in trouble so she had no clue as to what this meeting could possibly be about.

"I have a favor to ask of you," she began. "Being one of the brightest witches in your year, I have two students in your year who are much in need of a good tutor."

Ever willing to help out the head of her house, Onyx said, "I could manage that, I do have a free period this year. Who would I be tutoring?"

McGonagall hesitated, "Fred and George Weasley."

Onyx paled. She knew the twins would not take to the scheme very well and also they had a sort of rivalry. More than one time Onyx had usurped the twins in a prank or two. And they had never forgiven her. She bit her lip, "I'm not so sure."

"Please, you are the best option," Professor McGonagall practically pleaded with poor Onyx. McGonagall's eyes widened, imploring Onyx to come to her side.

She couldn't let her favorite Professor down. "For you Professor, of course."

"Thank you. I am so relieved and Merlin knows they need the help. I will be sure to give you extra credit and house points for your efforts."

Onyx smiled. "I am happy to help." She was happy to help, though Fred and George would sure be tough pupils. For McGonagall, she had no choice but to say yes. Plus, she was getting extra credit for this, and everyone could use extra credit.

Next came the hard part: telling the twins that they had a tutor. McGonagall was sure to be kind but firm. She sat Fred and George down after classes at her desk and proceeded to tell them the 'bad news'. They took it surprisingly well, especially Fred who quite honestly didn't like the reputation as a 'slacker'. Neither of them liked the idea of Onyx being their tutor, however.

"What?!", cried George. "_She's_ our great tutor?!"

"Yes, Professor," Fred added. "Couldn't you choose somebody else? Please? She isn't exactly the best person to tutor people. I mean, she's so smart. Who wants to be tutored by somebody who's smart?"

Professor McGonagall looked at them both sternly over her glasses. This was getting to be difficult, just as she had feared. And expected.

"Fine then," she said. "Who would you suggest instead? Draco? I am sure he would love to help with this situation. Or perhaps I should ask every single one of your Professors to help in their areas of expertise. Snape, I am sure, would be happy to help you two after all you have done for him."

The twins stared at her open-mouthed in horror. Then George grinned. "You know that nobody would agree to tutor _us_, Professor. Not one of the other Professors. Besides, they are all so busy…"

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. George gulped.

"Are you so sure of that, Mr. Weasley?" she asked him. "Because I have already discussed this issue in the Professor's lounge and every one of my colleagues seemed to be in favor of helping in any way necessary."

Fred gulped next. "Are you serious, Professor?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. I am."

The twins looked at each other and saw the same thing in each other's eyes: defeat. But there was no way the Weasley twins were going down without a fight. If they had to have Onyx as their tutor, they were going to do things their way and in no time she would quit. Simple as that. They didn't need to be tutored; they were leaving the next year, anyway. Well, maybe not _next_ year, but sometime soon.

"Fine," George told McGonagall. "When do we start?"

Apparently that night.

"Man, this stinks. Now we have to have a tutor. This is going to waste so much time! How on earth in the name of Hogwarts are we going to work on our Project now?" Fred cried on the way back to the Common Room where they were supposed to meet Onyx for their first session. They had considered just skipping out, but Professor McGonagall warned them that she was going to talk to Onyx daily to find out how they were doing. That way she would know if they had skipped or not and she warned them that there would be serious consequences if they did.

They got to the portrait of the Fat Lady and just stood there, not wanting to go in. All they had to do was say the password and the torture would start. They just had to say the password. Any minute now…just say the password…any time you want…just say it…

"Are you two coming in or not?" the Fat Lady demanded impatiently. "I have a party to get to and I can't be late again."

"Fine, 'Tulip'," George said in a monotone voice.

"About time…" the Fat Lady muttered as she swung open.

The twins stepped into the common room and looked around. They didn't see Onyx luckily and decided to just sneak up to their dormitory and let her come up to get them. Which she probably wouldn't do, so they really lucked out, until they saw her by the window. However, her back was facing them and so she didn't see them. They started to tiptoe towards the stairs when she saw their reflection in the window. She laughed as she saw them in the sneaking/tiptoe position. As much as she hated to admit it, they _were_ hilarious.

She waved them over, wondering why she agreed to do this. There was no way they were going to listen to her, they were going to find every distraction imaginable and not do any work and slack and she would be blamed and get in trouble and lose all of her extra credit and be hated by the Professors and Professor McGonagall would no longer trust her…

They walked over with the same look on their faces as she had: resignation. They could all almost hear the funeral march as they walked closer and closer to her table. They survived the treacherous walk, however, and reluctantly sat down in the two chairs at Onyx's table.

It was awkward and nobody said anything until Fred suddenly announced that he was awkward. They all stared at him; George because they had both agreed to give Onyx the well-deserved silent treatment and Onyx because it was so random. Nonetheless, they all burst into laughter and the fog was lifted.

"So," Onyx started.

"Bother," said Fred quite suddenly.

Onyx looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"Ignore him," George instructed. "Do go on, this is fascinating."

"Right," Onyx said, rather disgruntled. "Anyway, I don't think that any of us really want to be here-"

"Bother," Fred said again.

"I get it, Fred." Onyx sighed.

"Bother."

"Fred! Please, stop it. Let's just get this over with so we can go do important things."

George gave her an odd look as Fred got up and moved to the seat next to Onyx. "Important things? What do _you_ do that's important? Tutor people?"

"Well, I try. It gets quite difficult-"

"Bother," Fred said, pushing her shoulder.

Onyx shoved Fred off his chair and he fell to the ground and there was an explosion.

"AH!"

Onyx stared in shock at the crumpled form that used to be Fred Weasley. "Fred?"

He opened one eye and looked at her. "Ouch."

She knelt at his side. She was going to get in _so_ much trouble for this. She killed a Weasley! "Are you okay?" She put her hand on his singed forehead because that seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

By this time the entire Gryffindor house was gathered in the common room to behold the sight of Fred's prank that had apparently backfired. He was on the ground and his clothes and skin were black from the blast. People started to laugh but others were already calling for Madam Pomfrey.

"Fred! Fred, can you hear me?!" George ran to his twin's side. "Fred, do you see a light?"

"Why would he see a light, he's not dying-" Onyx started, but George cut her off.

"Hush up, murderer! You've done enough damage. Fred, talk to me."

Fred groaned in response.

George wailed. "No!"

Onyx sighed. "Fred, do you hurt any where? Is anything broken?"

"Do you see a light? Fred, do you see a light?!" George demanded.

Fred nodded.

"Go towards the light, Fred. Go towards the light!" George instructed, looking close to tears.

Onyx gave a yelp. "No, don't go towards the light, stay away from it! George, shut up!"

But George continued to urge his brother to proceed to the light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, Onyx had it with George's 'help' and so she shoved him away.

"Get out of here, George, you're not helping. Shove off."

George fell to the floor with a blast.

"Oh no," Onyx sighed as everyone rushed to George.

"You've killed my wenis." He groaned.

"I _what_?" she asked in shock.

"My wii exploded." Fred added in a faint voice.

"Excuse me?!"

"Oh, my aching chintacles." George and Fred moaned in unison.

By now Madam Pomfrey had arrived and Onyx decided that she had had enough of this bunk. She pulled the nurse to the side and the twins saw her whisper in her ear. Madam Pomfrey nodded with a smile. _Uh-oh_.

Two stretchers were conjured and soon the boys were each on one and on their way to the hospital wing. It was a silent ride as Madam Pomfrey decided that she needed to tell the boys her life story. On the plus side…well, there was no plus side from their point of view. When they got to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey set them up on some beds and then hurried off to get their medicine. Fred and George panicked.

"Man, look what you got us into, George. It was _your _idea to go with dung bombs in our pockets!" Fred whispered lest Madam Pomfrey hear them.

"What? Are you blaming this on me? You're the one who sat next to her!"

"Oh yeah. Well, none of this would have happened if you hadn't had the brilliant idea to go armed with _dung bombs in our pants!_" Fred cried. He quickly lowered his voice. "I mean, really, the whole tutoring thing isn't such a bad idea when you think about it."

George stared at his now-disowned twin. "I am now officially disowning you."

"Oh, come on. You really like being a slacker?"

"No, I prefer to call it…"he thought for a minute. "Not serious about my studies. A lack of interest, one might say."

Fred sighed as Madam Pomfrey came in with a rather suspicious looking bottle in her hand. She poured some of it into two glasses. Two large glasses. Fred gulped.

"Here" she said as she handed each of them a glass. "This will take care of the burn. I want to see it all gone, boys."

George made a face as he sniffed the concoction. "This stuff smells like Draco's socks," he said disgustedly.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a funny look. "How do you know what Draco's socks smell like?" she asked curiously.

George simply whistled innocently.

Fred took a sip of the medicine and almost spit it out. "What _is_ this stuff?!" he cried. "It tastes like cod liver oil mixed with prune juice!"

That was, in fact, what it was, but neither Madam Pomfrey nor Onyx was going to tell them that. It had been Onyx's brilliant idea for the gross mix to get them back for pretending to die.

"How on earth do you know what those would taste like together? What do you boys do in your spare time? If you play with concoctions all the time why aren't you doing better in Potions?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Hey," George frowned. "No need to get personal."

Madam Pomfrey shrugged then said, "Get drinking, you two. You need to finish that."

Fred looked suspicious. "Is this really medicine?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "It's exactly what you boys need."

George held his nose and started chugging away. After a few seconds, he stopped drinking and saw to his dismay that he had hardly drunk anything at all. Fred, on the other hand, took a small sip, then made a face. Then he took another sip, and made another face. Madam Pomfrey struggled with herself not to smile but it was terribly difficult. She finally broke and had to smother the laugh with a cough.

"Excuse me." She coughed as she ran out of the room. She had to run into the hall to keep them from hearing her uproarious laughter. Unfortunately, she left the room, so the twins were free to get rid of the nasty nastystuff if they only hurried. Fortunately, but not for the twins, Onyx came in just as Madam Pomfrey left. They both sighed in disappointment.

"Hi, boys." Onyx greeted them. "Glad to see you aren't dead."

Fred quickly fell against his pillow and let his tongue hang out of his mouth with his eyes closed.

"Ha ha, very funny. Now finish up that stuff. Madam Pomfrey says it's just the thing you scoundrels need." Onyx walked over to them and sniffed the medicine. She made a face and tried not to laugh. "At least it's not really thick. That would be disgusting."

"This isn't disgusting?" George cried out. "I have never tasted anything worse and I once licked a dungbomb."

" Yeah Mrs. 'that's not disgusting', if it isn't so disgusting why don't you drink it?!" Fred challenged.

Onyx looked at him in sympathy. "Poor, poor Fred. Don't you know that you aren't supposed to take medicine if you don't need it?"

"Yeah, well, I don't need this." George told her.

"Ha ha, you admit it!" Onyx cried in triumph.

"Admit what?" George asked innocently. "That I don't like being poisoned?"

Madam Pomfrey walked back in, her face rather red from laughter. "It's not poison, Mr. Weasley. So drink it up before I force it down your throat."

Both guys started to chug it but only got a fourth of the way through the glass before they started to gag. Amid the gagging they asked for water. Onyx complied and searched for something to put in the water, but found nothing. So the twins lucked out and got just plain water.

Finally, after an hour or so, the medicine was gone and the boys felt sick. They quit complaining when Madam Pomfrey offered more medicine. They had to spend the night in the hospital wing, and miss Quidditch practice, which Onyx later told them was very fun as they all had to chase after the Snitch. Oliver Wood said that it was an exercise to increase speed and agility and to give them all more respect for Harry. And for some fun. Nobody caught it but Onyx got very close. This made the twins very mad and all through the night they plotted for her demise.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning the twins came to class looking tired but happy. All through the day they kept a close eye on Onyx watching for any signs of more tricks. They knew it was her who had the idea to 'poison' them the night before. They had to have their revenge. Plus, they missed Quidditch practice. That hurt. That night was the next session and they really didn't want to go, but in Transfiguration Professor McGonagall told them that she was disappointed in their behavior the night before and expected better of them. They were to behave themselves tonight and not give Onyx any grief.

So they met her at the table again that night. They sat down reluctantly and glared at her with the utmost contempt. She ignored this.

"Okay, guys. Let's start this over, shall we? You had your laugh, ha ha ha, so let's just get working and finish in time for the game tonight."

"Fine," Fred sighed. "What's first? And don't say Transfiguration. I hate Transfiguration. Even more than I hate cod liver oil mixed with prune juice."

Onyx laughed and quickly stopped herself. "I mean, how do you know what that tastes like?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know, it's just an inkling. It's not like somebody would actually give us any saying it was medicine," George said sarcastically.

"Yeah well, let's just start, okay? Let's start with Charms. Where are you having trouble?"

"Everywhere," George informed her. "That thing about that thing he told us that one day, remember that thing, Fred? That one day, with the thing?"

Fred looked confused at first and then seemed to remember. "Oh, that one thing! Yeah, I didn't get it."

"Okay," Onyx said slowly. "So, do you remember what that one thing was about? Was it a spell? Or something in one of Flitwick's lectures?"

"I don't remember," George informed her. "If I did then I wouldn't be here right now wasting my time."

"I'm wasting my time, too, you know. Nobody wants to waste time trying to teach a bunch of unteachable twits," Onyx snapped back.

George stared at her and she stared back. Fred yelled "Staring Contest!" and looked on in great interest until George got up.

"Well, thank you for your time, Onyx, we will remember this next time you prank us." George pulled Fred out of his seat and they both started to walk towards their dormitory.

"Wait a second, you aren't done here. Get back here and sit down right now so we can get this over with," Onyx ordered. "The faster this goes, and the better it goes, the less we will have to do it."

Fred sat down (who knew she was so bossy?) but George remained standing.

"No, I'm not going to waste my time with this, and neither are you, Fred, get up." George pulled Fred's arm to get him out of his chair.

"No! Fred, sit down!" Fred sat. "George, sit down right now and quit trying to stir up rebellion. We are all going to get into trouble if this doesn't work out," Onyx commanded.

"Oh no, will Windsay get a mark on her widdle perfect wecord?" George taunted.

Fred laughed and added, "My wecord, its bwoken! Poor, poor widdle wecord!"

Onyx rolled her eyes. "My perfect widdle wecord is not nearly as important as your suffwing wist of wongdoings."

They both quit laughing at this direct attack of mockery. She really was just as bad as they were.

"Okay, so what do we have to do?" George asked in a monotone voice.

"Transfiguration is first," Onyx informed him, deciding to quit being nice. Fred had said that he hated Transfiguration so that is what they were going to start with. Ha.

"Oh no!" Fred cried. "That's the worst one to start on! How about something easy, like sleeping?"

"I figured we'd start with the hardest one first and then all the others would seem easy," Onyx stated.

"How logical," George mused. "Can we go now?"

"NO!" Onyx cried. "Trust me, I want to go and do other stuff as bad as you do, I mean, I have Quidditch in an hour…"

"Hey, so do we!" Fred told her.

Onyx looked at him quizzically. "Umm, I know that. We're on the same team."

"But you said that "I" have Quidditch practice," George reminded her.

" I do," Onyx said, getting annoyed at how much time they were wasting.

"But we do too! Why must we be ignored by humanity?!" Fred lamented.

"You," Onyx told him, "are impossible to ignore."

They both batted their eyelashes.

"Why thank you, love," Fred cooed.

Onyx sighed. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"But of course you did," George interrupted.

"You love us, deep down inside that abyss of a black heart of yours," Fred added in a soft voice.

She stared at them in shock. This was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. She couldn't stand these guys and here they said that she loved them. She suddenly got a great idea for a prank…

She looked at them both with wide eyes. "How did you know?" she asked quietly.

They took their turn and stared back at her. "Know what?" they asked in unison.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just forget it. We need to get to work…"

The twins looked at each other, rather confused.

"Right…" George said. "Do we really have to do this?"

Onyx took her glass of water and splashed it in his face.

"Yes, we do. Now concentrate on learning or else you will end up on the street with one leg and a parrot and people will call you Freaky Fred and Gross George and you will both have fleas and itch and freak out everybody who sees you and people will wonder where you went wrong and blame me for your pathetic lives and nobody will attend your funerals because nobody will know that you died."

She took a deep breath. They were both staring at her for what seemed like the eleventh time. It was awkward again.

"So, uh," Fred stammered, getting up out of his chair and moving to the seat next to her-again. "Onyx, if _you_ had a parrot would you like it on this shoulder," he put a hand on the shoulder closest to him. "Or _this_ shoulder?" he asked coyly, putting his arm around her so his hand was on her other shoulder.

"Ew, Fred, get off me!" she said shrugging his hand off.

The twins both laughed at her disgust.

"Let's just start, shall we?" George suggested. "This is getting a little too weird for me."

A week later, it was Halloween and Onyx was thankful for the reprieve. After the rather interesting first few sessions, things had begun to fall into place. It became a routine and the three of them almost began to enjoy their time together. Almost.

"I am so glad that we have today off," Fred was saying as he and George found seats at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

George agreed. "My brain can finally rest. I think it has swollen, does it look swollen to you?"

Fred looked at it while Ron and Harry sniggered from across the table. "No, I think it's just your big head."

George didn't even bother responding because just then Onyx and Harper came to sit down. He immediately began loading his plate with all the goodies that appeared on the table.

"Hello, everybody," Onyx greeted them.

The twins just nodded in acknowledgement.

"No, you're supposed to say 'Happy Halloween'," Harper said exasperatedly to Onyx. She sat down, looking glum.

Hermione looked at her. "What's wrong, Harper?"

"I miss the Muggle version of Halloween," Harper grumbled. "You guys don't dress up or go trick-or-treating or anything fun."

"Trick-or-treating?" Ron repeated. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

"It's when Muggle children go from house to house and get candy," Harry explained. He himself had never gone trick-or-treating because the Dursley's had never let him, but he had heard enough from Dudley to get the gist of it.

"Isn't that stealing?" Ron asked in wonder.

Hermione shook her head. "They do it every Halloween. Personally, I never found it very fun, dressing up and staying out all night. Plus, I was never allowed to eat all of my candy."

"That's the curse of having dentists for parents," Fred laughed, sticking a lollipop in his mouth.

A few minutes later and Dumbledore stood up and tried to get everyone's attention. This proved to be harder than he thought it would so he ended up magnifying his voice.

"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE!" his voice boomed throughout the hall.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice back to normal now that they were listening. "I have an announcement to make, but before I get to that, Happy Halloween!"

A lot of people let out cheers before Dumbledore started again. "As many of you know, this year Hogwarts has been given the honor of hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy and their headmistress Madam Maxine."

The doors to the great hall opened and a swarm of girls dressed in blue flittered into the hall. All the boys looked gobsmacked as the girls twirled to their tables.

"Lovely, just lovely," Dumbledore commented. "Now, please welcome the proud boys of Durmstrang and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff."

Gents in red marched into to the hall keeping time with their staves. The girls practically drooled at the sight of the strapping Durmstrang lads.

Onyx caught Harper's eye roll; she stifled a laugh.

"What? Those boys putting a twist in your knickers?" George jokingly whispered in her ear.

He received a curt swat from Onyx.

Fred laughed at the antics.

"Settle down, settle down," Dumbledore advised. "Welcome to Hogwarts everyone. Barty Crouch from the Ministry of Magic is here to explain the rules of the tournament."

Barty Crouch stood at the podium and rattled off the rules and regulations. No one really paid attention 'til the age restriction was mentioned. "No wizard under the age of 17 will be allowed to participate."

"RUBBISH!" Fred and George shouted in unison as the hall erupted with displeasure.

Again, Onyx caught her friend mid-eye roll. "Boys, eh?" she laughed.

"Indeed, the immaturity of it all."

"You only say that because you don't want to participate," George grumbled.

"QUIET!" Dumbledore called. "This is only for your safety. If you wish to participate in the Tri Wizard tournament, please put your name in the Goblet of Fire no later than Sunday evening. Now, to lift the mood, I have another announcement. The staff and I have decided that an annual dance open to the entire school would not be a bad idea. So this fall will bring us the firsts annual Quidditch Ball and in the winter, the Yule Ball, open to each and every student at Hogwarts. And yes," he added with a small smile. "You may have dates."

The Great Hall was suddenly filled with loud murmuring and excited whispering, with the exception of Harper.

She turned to her friends, mouth agape. "_What_?"

"A dance?" Harry repeated. "I wonder what made them decided to do that?"

"Who cares, this is going to be so much fun!" Onyx said excitedly. "We get to buy dresses and get dates and dress up and dance and…" She caught sight of Harper's face, which still resembled the Scream. "What's the matter?" she asked in concern.

"A ball? We're going to have a _ball_? Why are they doing this to us?" Harper wailed. "What have I done to them?"

"What are you talking about, Harper?" Hermione asked. "It's a ball, not a battle."

"But it's not fair!" Harper cried.

"Why isn't it fair?" George asked, confused. "You don't _have_ to go if you don't want to."

Harper blinked. "You're right," she said. "I don't have to go." She started getting really excited, bouncing in her seat, clapping her hands. "I don't have to go! I don't have to go!"

Onyx tried to stop Harper from bouncing anymore. "Yes, you do," she informed her friend. "You are going to go and you are going to have fun."

Harper stopped. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because I said so," Onyx said sternly.

Harper's face fell. "You're a mean friend, did you know that?"

"Well, what can I say?" Onyx shrugged modestly. "Oh, come on, Harps. It'll be fun!"

Harper folded her arms over her chest, pouting. "No it won't. It'll be far more hassle than it's worth. Now we have to deal with getting dates and you know that all the other girls are going to be freaking out and this whole place will reek of raging hormones and—"

"Harper, stop, stop, stop the madness!" George yelled, covering his ears. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Can't take what?" Hermione asked, searching the table for something remotely healthy to eat. It was a far more difficult task than she had imagined.

"She's making it sound like torture!" George cried. "I can't deal with it, I'm too weak. So many girls…all wanting a date. It's too much to take!"

"Okay, now you're just mocking me," Harper spat. "I'm seriously not going!"

"Yes, you are," Onyx said, tired of this argument already.

"Not if I don't have a date!" Harper told her.

"Who says you won't have a date?" asked Hermione, settling on a caramel apple and trying to peel off some of the caramel.

"Oh, please, who would ask me?" Harper asked bitterly, snatching some of the caramel off of Hermione's plate.

"Not this again," Onyx moaned, rubbing her forehead. This was the one thing she hated about Harper: her constant self-depreciation, especially when it came to boys. She never thought that she was worthy enough.

"Not what?" Harry wondered.

"Nothing," she sighed, not wanting to get into it right now.

Harry dropped it with a shrug.

"Well, I for one am excited about this ball," Fred announced. "Imagine what we could do there, George."

"Ah, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" George asked slyly.

"I imagine I _am_ thinking what you're thinking, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Fred answered.

The others ignored them and left them to their planning. Harper was very quiet for the rest of the dinner and still hadn't said much when they were walking back to Gryffindor tower. She let Onyx and Hermione discuss the dance with fervor into the night as she tried to get some sleep. There was no way she would ever be excited for this thing.


	3. Chapter 3

The week flew and it was Sunday, the last day to enter the tournament. Many students were gathered to see who all planned to put in their name.

"I don't understand what all the fuss is about," Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, resigning to the fact that she'd get no studying done.

"It's a testosterone need, I'd wager," Harper sighed, slumping onto the bleachers next to Hermione, her curls harumphing as she did so.

"This ought to be interesting," Onyx muttered walking into the room and settling down next to her friend.

"What do you mean?" Harper wanted to know.

"Just watch," Onyx shook her head.

"YES!" erupted from the hallway as Fred and George ran into the room. Cheers from the lingering students filled the room as the twins high fived a few first years.

"Lads, we did it," George elated.

"Did what?" Harper pressed.

"Cooked up an aging potion this morning," Fred grinned.

"It's not going to work," Hermione sang.

"Oh yeah?" Fred raised a brow.

"And why is that Granger?" George asked the young witch.

"Do you see this?" she pointed to the floor. A blue ring of light surrounded the Goblet of Fire. "This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself.

"So?" George shrugged.

"So a genus like Dumbledore couldn't possible be fooled with something as pathetically dimwitted as an aging potion."

"Ah, but that's why it's so brilliant!" Fred exclaimed.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted!" George stood, "Ready Fred?"

"Ready George," Fred answered his twin shaking up his aging potion.

They linked arms, "Bottom's up!" They threw back the potion, waited a moment, and jumped in the age line.

Nothing.

"YES!" they said congratulating each other. The students continued to cheer.

"This is not going to end well," Harper lamented, watching through her fingers.

"Serves them right," Hermione scoffed. "As dimwitted as they are, they deserve whatever is coming to them."

Onyx couldn't help but laugh.

"Ready?" the twins asked each other in unison. They tossed their names into the goblet.

Again. Nothing.

"Whoo!" Fred thrusted his fists in the air.

"Seeing Granger? I told you it would-" George was unable to finish that statement as he and his brother were blasted from the circle by the goblet. Landing several feet away, they lay their stunned as the other students began to laugh at the scene.

As Fred and George sat up their mouthes fell open. They had both grown white beards.

"YOU SAID-" they shouted at each as they lunged forward, George catching Fred in a head lock and Fred yanking on George's beard.

They pitched across the floor as the students began chanting "Fight!" The scene was quickly interrupted as a group of seventh year Hufflepuffs burst into the room. Cedric Diggory was thrown into the age line.

"Put it in, Cedric!" a Hufflepuff called.

"Yeah, Cedric!" another cheered.

He tossed his name in the flames. In the process, he caught Onyx's eye. He crookedly grinned at her before he was pulled back into the group of his friends on his way out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Harper asked knowing all too well how her friend fancied the badger.

"I have no idea," she breathed.

The champions were announced: Fleur Delacor, Viktor Krum, Cedirc Diggory, and somehow Harry Potter. Much of the school was up in arms about it, much to Onyx's chagrin, the twins were still moping about being denied participation.

The next few weeks brought more tutoring sessions. Onyx was tortured each time and the boys' brains were tortured each time so it came around full circle. The good thing was, they seemed to be getting it. Whatever it was. The twins still didn't seem to know.

"I'm not going to tell you again, 8-9 equals –1!" Onyx cried after an hour or so of work in early November.

"I'm not stupid, I know that 8-9 equals plus 1!" George cried back.

Onyx hit him upside the head with her Potions book.

"Ow!"

"Hey, no need to go all Snape on us," Fred laughed.

"No need to go all stupid on me!" she shot back. "Quit messing with my head all the time!"

"What? Professor, I am not smart!" George said sounding very insulted.

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, George, thank you for reminding me. I had completely forgotten."

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you insulting me?"

"Am I?"

"Are you?"

"Am I?"

"Didn't you just say that?"

"Did I?"

"Okay, now you're just playing."

"Am I?"

"Are you?"

"Didn't you just say that?"

"Am I missing something?" Fred asked.

George and Onyx laughed. George stopped suddenly.

"Oh my gosh, Fred, Professor finally cracked!"

"She did, George, she really did!"

"What a joyous occasion! The witch is dead!"

"Long live the dead witch!"

They started to sing:

Long live the dead witch

For she is really dead.

Long live the dead dead witch

For she is really really dead

That's just fantastic!

Onyx laughed at their ridiculousness, in spite of herself. She knew that she was just encouraging them, but she had to laugh. They sang it again and soon other students in the common room were singing along although they didn't know what the song was about or what brought it up. They just sang because if the twins were doing it, then everyone should. That's just the way that things were with the twins.

The twins were so slaphappy at the end that they could not concentrate whatsoever on their studies. So Onyx just gave up for the day. She decided to leave the party that had just started thanks to Fred and George and go walk around the castle. She ended up near the prefect's bathroom and Cedric came out just as Onyx walked by.

"Hey, Onyx," he greeted her. "How is that experiment going with those Weasley's?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, which made him laugh.

He sighed and looked at her sympathetically. "It must be hard. I can barely talk to them without cracking up. I admire your persistence."

This made her smile (and blush). "Thanks, Cedric. Congrats on being picked for the Tri Wizard tournament. When's the first challenged?"

"Thank you," he said bashfully, never one to be the center of attention. "Not for a few weeks. Give us plenty of time to drum up our nerves." He laughed lightly.

"I'm sure you'll be more than fine," Onyx assured him. "Though tonight's a different story. Nervous about the game?"

"You wish. We are going to flatten you seeing as your Beaters' heads are so big with knowledge. Our Beaters are going to mistake their heads for Bludgers."

Onyx and Cedric laughed at this ridiculous thought.

"Well, I'll see you on the Quidditch pitch, then," Cedric said, waving good-bye.

"See ya," Onyx said dreamily.

Fortunately, he didn't hear her. That would have been embarrassing. She had liked Cedric ever since she had met him. He was so likeable and dreamy and it was like he was a hottie with a body and charming and cute…

Onyx continued on a cloud of happiness. So happy was she that she did not see where she was going and soon ran into someone who was _not_ likeable and dreamy and charming and cute…but a butt. But fine, he was a cute butt.

**_Malfoy_**.

"Hello gorgeous. Just the girl I wanted to see," he greeted her, not offering to help her up as she had been knocked to the ground. Chivalrous he was not.

"And why, Malfoy," she said, getting up. "Did you want to see me?"

"I wanted to give you a kiss."

"_What?_"

He held out his hand and offered a Hershey Kiss.

"Oh. That kind. Thanks." Onyx was greatly relieved.

"No problem. Remember, there's more where that came from."

"Uh…" Onyx didn't know what that meant and she had no intention of finding out.

"So," Malfoy said, leaning against the wall casually, trying and failing to look cool. "I heard that you are tutoring those redheaded losers. Poor love."

"Please don't call me that. And they aren't losers, they've just lost it."

Malfoy laughed. It was a cold, cruel laugh. Just like his heart.

He moved closer to her. "Well, if I need any tutoring, I'll know who to come to. If you can handle them you can certainly handle me."

Again, she didn't know what this meant and she didn't want to. It sounded dirty. And creepy. She shivered.

"Right, well, I'm going to go now and find Wood and warm up for Quidditch."

"Oh, right. Big game tonight. I'm regrettably going to have to root against you but don't take it personally."

"Oh, I will."

"Oh." He didn't seem to like the sound of that.

Onyx turned to walk away and heard footsteps behind her. Soon Malfoy was walking right next to her. GASP!

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"I like how you smell," he told her.

She stopped walking. "Are you insulting me?" she asked him.

"No, never, I couldn't do that, love."

"Again, don't call me that."

"Sorry, love."

"Malfoy!"

"Fine. You're hot when you're angry."

"Please stop talking before I do something you'll regret."

"What could you do to me that I'd regret?" he asked curiously.

She chose to ignore this and kept walking. She had no idea why he was near the library anyway. In fact, she had never seen him there before in all of her years at Hogwarts.

"So, what were you talking about with Pretty Boy earlier?"

"Were you spying on me?"

"Maybe. Wouldn't you like to know?"

She gave a sigh if disgust. Then she ran down the stairs and through the great doors all the way to the Quidditch pitch. She was exhausted by the time she got there, though, and Oliver wasn't happy about that.

"You need energy for the game!" he yelled. "You're the number one Chaser at the school and this is a very important game!"

"Calm down, cousin. I just ran down here, no big deal, I had to get away from Malfoy who is stalking me for some reason."

Oliver frowned. "Oh, I get it. He's trying to distract you. He wants us to lose so they play against Hufflepuff in the finals and not us because he knows that they can't beat us. I mean, we've got Potter. I mean, we've got you. And me." He added as an after thought.

"Ollie, relax. Not everything is a conspiracy to get us out of the running."

He stared at her. "Of course it is!"

She sighed and got her Quidditch robes on. Soon they got out onto the pitch and the game was started. Cedric gave her a friendly smile before they kicked off and flew into the air. Fred and George flew as far away from her as possible throughout the entire game and it was driving Oliver nuts.

"You dingbats, protect her! Protect her!" he yelled at them.

Onyx didn't really mind, because she was very fast and had skills of madness. The Bludgers couldn't catch her. It was Harry who had to worry about them. But Oliver always thought the contrary, as she was the 'secret weapon' although she really wasn't much of a secret. So they ended up winning, of course. She felt bad about beating Cedric but Oliver was elated.

"We beat those stinking Snufflepuffs!" he cried in jubilation as they took their Quidditch robes off in the locker room. "I am so happy! Great job, everyone, great job indeed."

"Now, Ollie, no need to get all Malfoy and shove it in everyone's face," Onyx joked. "Be a good winner, not a sore one."

Oliver looked disappointed in her. "But we WON. That is a GOOD thing. It's not against the law to be happy. Have you gone soft on me?"

She shook her head. "No, but we still need to be gracious."

Everyone stared at her.

"But we _won_," Oliver said again as if she had forgotten.

"I know. I got most of the goals," Onyx told him.

"Yeah, well, at least we aren't facing those Snufflepuffs in the finals," George said. There was a general murmur of agreement throughout the team.

"But this means that we have to face those stinking Slytherins," Oliver lamented.

After they all changed, they all left. Except for Onyx who hated being sweaty and decided to take a shower real quick. After she was done and dressed she went back up to the castle. To her surprise she found Cedric waiting outside of the locker house thing.

"Oh, hi, Cedric. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, I was actually waiting for someone," he answered.

She turned to look behind her into the locker room and saw nobody. "I think that I was the only one in there…" she told him.

"Uh, right. So, good game. You were really good at that scoring and stuff."

"Uh, thanks. Too bad Fred hit your broom with the Bludger. Hope it survives the night."

He laughed. "Oh, it's been hit worse than that. I wouldn't worry. I'll tell it you said hi, though."

"Thanks." There was an awkward silence. Suddenly a voice ripped through the night:

"I'm awkward!"

Onyx sighed. "That would be Fred."

"What is he doing out here?" Cedric asked, sounding annoyed.

"Well, you'd have to ask him. He has a mind of his own. It's scary sometimes."

Fred was running around the beach with his arms out and was shouting at the top of his lungs. George was trying to hex him but Fred wouldn't stand still long enough.

"So, how about a congratulatory drink at the Three Broomsticks?" Cedric asked suddenly.

Onyx looked up at him in shock. "Really?"

"Sure. You look like you need a break anyway."

"Well, sure then. I'll meet you in the Great Hall in ten minutes."

"Okay. It's a date," he said, walking away.

"What?" That was weird. Oh well. So she went up and changed into something nicer and ran down the steps and almost bowled over 13 people in the process. Including Malfoy.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry, love?" he asked.

She didn't even hear him she was going so fast.

She also almost ran into Cedric but he caught her just in time. Aww.

"Wow. Nice catch," she told him, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Was something chasing you or something?" he asked trying not to laugh, as that would have been rude.

"Uh, no, not exactly. Malfoy keeps trying to talk to me. Or something. I don't really want to know. He creeps me out."

Cedric agreed and soon they were on their merry way. There were other people going to Hogsmeade also, it was a special occasion. The students weren't sure what it was but a night on the town was always appreciated. Especially on a school night. Cedric offered Onyx his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked in a fake French accent.

"We shall," she answered in the same fake accent.

So they walked and talked. The conversation was mostly about Quidditch but that was not all what they mostly had in common. They were both fine, upstanding, smart, beautiful people. No black abysses for hearts. Just the beating kind.

They made it to the Three Broomsticks and chose a small cozy table by the window. Unfortunately, this meant that people could see them together and some started to point in shock. Others acted as if they had expected it the whole time. Still more others, namely the Weasley twins, came up to the actual window and made faces at them. It was rather unappetizing to be honest to have two boys press their noses against the window as Onyx and Cedric tried to drink their butterbeers in peace. It was November now, so it was nippy outside but the warmth of the tavern made the atmosphere very comfy and cozy. One might go as far as to say it was romantic.

Onyx enjoyed her drink with Cedric. They were very close friends and this was nothing more than a drink shared by friends. Or was it? Cedric may have had ulterior motives.

"So," he said. "What is it like trying to tutor them?" he asked as the twins continued to gawk and press their now-red noses against the window.

Onyx sighed. "It's difficult. Did you hear that?" she asked, looking at the window. "It is difficult to tutor you!"

The twins looked shocked and hurt at this revelation and pretended get shot and promptly fell to the ground. Fred was so dramatic that he put his hands to his heart as he fell, his mouth agape.

Both Cedric and Onyx rolled their eyes as the twins got up and started bothering them through the window again.

"Are you getting paid for this?" Cedric asked.

"No, but I am getting extra credit."

"Extra extra credit, I hope."

"No, I think just regular extra credit."

"Well, it's not like you need that, though. You have great grades, don't you?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…I do."

Cedric glanced at the twins. "Do you want to go somewhere more…private? This is quite unnerving."

Onyx agreed and after Cedric paid the bill they set off. They had no idea where to go, however, and once they stepped foot outside the twins were on top of them. They had to run to get away. They ran all the way to the Shrieking Shack and then realized that the twins were not following them any longer.

All of a sudden, Cedric pulled Onyx into a kiss.

All of a sudden, Onyx was being kissed by Cedric.

As suddenly as it happened, it ended. Cedric quickly pulled away and looked apologetic. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was the opportune moment. Well, not really, but it felt like it. That was fun, wasn't it? It was for me, sorry if it was sudden. I just really wanted to-" he broke off his blabbering and looked into her face. "You aren't saying anything. Are you mad? Do you never want to see me again? What did I do wrong?! I am such an idiot. I'm leaving now, see you if you want to see me again." He turned around to leave looking dejected and rejected.

"Wait!" Onyx called out to him. He turned still looking dejected and rejected. And somewhat hopeful.

"Um…" Onyx couldn't think of what to say. "I do want to see you again. Life would be boring and sad without you." She didn't know where this had come from and it sounded sappy and dramatic to her, but it had just slipped out.

Cedric's face was looking more hopeful by the minute. "Really?"

"Yeah," she answered. "But, uh, one question. Why me?"

Cedric smiled, ran back over to her and took her hand. "That's a silly question, love."

She made a face, and in doing so ruined the moment.

"What?" he asked, concerned that he made her hate him again, although she never had in the first place. It was all in his imagination. How sweet. "Did I do something wrong again?"

She laughed. "No, you haven't done anything wrong. I just don't like being called 'love'. Malfoy uses that name all the time and—"

"Wait? Malfoy? I _knew_ there was someone else!"

Onyx quickly explained that there was nothing with Malfoy before Cedric hurt himself or something. Cedric looked relieved.

"So there isn't anyone else?"

"No, there's nobody, actually," Onyx said. She hadn't really thought of it before.

"Except for me, that is," Cedric said with a smile.

"Yeah, what exactly is happening here?" asked Onyx, still trying to understand what was going on. "I thought you just wanted to take me out for a congratulatory drink."

Cedric laughed. "Yeah, well…getting back to the "why me?' question, all of the other girls are stuck up. Except for a select few. Including you. I don't know, you're just…different. But in a good way," he quickly assured her.

She pretended to be hurt by this but ended up laughing instead. It helped calm Cedric down.

"Well, okay then. What do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's go back to school," he suggested. He offered her his arm again and she took it gladly. They talked about 'we' the entire way back to the castle, but it was still rather awkward.

"I'm awkward!" Fred told them when they got into the Great Hall.

"Do you just follow us around all day?" Cedric asked, not looking very glad to see him.

"No, but I can if you'd like me to," Fred told him.

"No!" Both Onyx and Cedric cried at the same time. Fred looked slightly disappointed but brightened when he saw Harry, Ron and Hermione come in.

"Why, it is Her-me-own!" he said jovially, bowing as he said her name. Hermione rolled her eyes and to her dismay Harry and Ron started it, too. "Her-me-own! Her-me-own! Her-me-own!" The three of them sang, bowing all the while. It became a dance, much to Hermione's dismay. She didn't act upset although Onyx could see that she was if only a little bit.

"Okay, guys, lay off her," Onyx told them. But they had gotten way too into it and simply couldn't stop. They followed Hermione all the way up to the Gryffindor common room doing the 'Her-me-own bowing' dance. Onyx felt bad for Hermione but she had Cedric to distract her. And what a great distraction he was.

"So how about we meet at the fountain after school?" he asked her after things had quieted down. She wholeheartedly agreed and then they went their separate ways as the Hufflepuffs dragged Cedric away to celebrate a game well played. He didn't want to go, but his fellow housemates were insistent (and strong).

Onyx made her way up to the common room on a cloud. She still had no idea what had just happened in the last hour, but she liked it. And, apparently, Cedric liked her. Added bonus. When she got to the common room, she saw that the boys were still torturing Hermione and that George had joined it.

So there sat Hermione, in a chair by the fireplace, trying to read but failing, as she could not concentrate. The boys kept singing and dancing in front of her. At first Onyx thought that Hermione was crying but then realized that she was laughing so hard that she had tears in her eyes. Quite the accomplishment seeing as she was trying to do it silently so the guys didn't know that she was laughing. They would stop if they knew it didn't bother her. Onyx had to laugh. Hermione really _was_ smart and clever. Plus, the guys were making complete fools out of themselves. Extra points. Actually, Onyx was surprised that Harry was taking part; he was usually on Hermione's side. He was ironically the best dancer out of the misfits. Hmm…suspicious.

Hermione caught Onyx's eye and shook her head at the ridiculousness of the boys. She saw that Onyx was laughing and then she couldn't hide it any longer; she cracked. Hermione completely cracked up and it shocked her fan club. Hermione was laughing so hard that she fell off the chair, which made the boys stop their number in shock. They had never seen Hermione like this before. Ron and Harry looked at each other in concern. Onyx, however, was laughing almost as hard as Hermione was. Soon, Hermione calmed down and came over to Onyx.

"So, what happened today?" she asked excitedly. "What were you doing with Cedric?"

Onyx pretended to not know what Hermione was talking about. "What do you mean? Nothing happened. It's not like he kissed me…"

Hermione stared at Onyx. "_What?_"

"Nothing, nothing," Onyx sang innocently. "Oh, Harper's back! How was Madam Pomfrey? Still laughing over the 'medicine'?"

Harper had burned her hand on a flat iron and had to go to the hospital wing earlier that day.

"Yes, she was, actually. She told me all about it. And look," she held up her hand. "All better. I couldn't believe how fast it healed. It's like magic!"

The boys decided that it was too quiet and started Hermione's dance again. The girls ignored them.

"So, what's this I hear about Cedric and some girl?" Harper asked suspiciously with a smile.

Since the Hermione dance was getting no response, the twins decided to try something else—the Dead Witch song. This time it had its own dance number, complete with a tap dance solo from Fred.

Onyx had to laugh in spite of herself, which was the exact response Fred had wanted from her. Amongst the giggles Onyx tried to tell her friends what exactly had transpired between Cedric and her. It was rather embarrassing but Harper and Hermione reacted perfectly.

"I knew something was going on between you two!" Hermione exclaimed triumphantly. "Guys don't often just want to be friends." She glanced at Harry and Ron who had joined Fred in the Dead Witch dance although nobody could do the tap dance solo as well as Fred could.

Harper raised her eyebrows at Hermione.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Harper responded, looking away. She then turned to Onyx. "Did he really kiss you just like that? That seems really hard to believe, he seems so reserved."

"It was like magic."

"That is so corny, Onyx," Harper reprimanded.

"I know," Onyx replied. "But it really was magical. And kind of awkward at the same time. Actually, it was really awkward."

"I can imagine," Hermione stated. She looked mischievous. "Is he a good kisser?"

Onyx blushed. "Um, no comment."

Harper and Hermione laughed. "I bet he's really bad if you aren't saying," Harper teased.

Onyx remained silent while the other girls started comparing Cedric's bad kisses to other things.

"I bet he's so bad that kissing a balloon would be better," Harper laughed.

"No, he's so bad that he makes Malfoy seem good," Hermione said seriously.

Harper and Onyx both looked at Hermione with raised eyebrows. "How do _you_ know what Malfoy's like?" they asked in unison.

Hermione looked disgruntled and disgusted. "I don't. Ew, don't even go there. I would hex him a thousand times if he tried to kiss me."

Ron overheard and jumped to conclusions. "_What_? You kissed _Malfoy_?!" He looked jealous. (ooh….)

This made Hermione look even more disgruntled and disgusted. "No, Ronald, I did not. I couldn't even imagine…" she shuddered. "Why do you care, anyway?"

It was Ron's turn to look disgruntled. "I don't. I just wanted to make sure…that would be awful, then we'd have to be friends with him and…I'm not jealous!" Ron stomped off in a huff. They always stomp off in huffs. It's just how one stomps off.

They all watched him go up to the dormitory and then they looked at Hermione who was blushing from the attention.

"What?" she asked. "That wasn't my fault."

There was a general murmur of consent through the group. Fred continued his song and dance number while George wondered what was up with his little brother.

"I wonder what's up with our little brother?" he asked Fred.

"Maybe he's in _love_," Fred sang.

"Who would love _him_?" George asked. "I saw that troll look at him once. I'm sure they have a future together. Can you imagine their kids?"

"What troll?" Harry asked, not remembering the twins being around when the trio was interacting with a troll.

"Pansy, of course," George snickered. This made everyone laugh because Pansy was indeed a troll. She certainly had the personality of one.

"I bet Cedric kisses like a troll," Harper told Onyx.

"You'd be the one to know that," George told her.

Onyx didn't know whom this insulted: her for Cedric's sake, or Harper for knowing what a troll's kiss was like.

"Who does that insult?" she asked George.

George shrugged. "I guess all three of you. That's three points for me, then!"

"Hey!" Fred cried. "That doesn't get you three points, you get just one."

George shook his head. "No," he argued. "Clause seven says that—"

"No, clause seven has to do with toilets, remember?" Fred reminded him.

"Oh yeah," George smiled. "Well, either way, I get three points."

"Fine," Fred consented. "Then I get four for what I did this morning."

They both laughed wickedly as they remembered what Fred had done that morning.

"Agreed. That was bloody brilliant," George had to admit.

"What did you do this morning?" Harry asked them suspiciously. The twins just grinned and wouldn't spill no matter how much the others persisted.

"Aw, Fred, please tell us!" Onyx implored.

Fred shook his head. "No, you'll snitch on us."

"Well, knowing you, it probably has your name all over it. Who else pulls pranks every few minutes?" Harry pointed out.

Onyx then got an idea for another prank to pull on the twins, namely Fred. She was determined to get the secret out of him. He was easier to crack than George was, because his ego was slightly larger.

She waited until the others had left to go do their own thing, whatever that may have been. Soon only Harper, Onyx and Fred were left.

Fred was over by the fireplace, doing something to the fire. Onyx leaned over to Harper and whispered, "Watch this." Harper gave her a questioning look.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

But Onyx simply raised her eyebrows and sauntered over to Fred. "Hey, Fred, I have a question for you."

Fred turned to her looking annoyed. "I'm trying to do work here, Onyx. If it's about this morning just drop it. It wasn't a big deal anyway." He stood up and gave his wand a flick. Suddenly the fire burst into life but it sparked instead of having flames. "This will be cool. A never-ending fire. Water just makes it stronger so it can't go out unless you use the counter-spell. Which only George and I have. Genius, eh?"

"Uh yeah. Anyway, if you were a pirate," Onyx began.

Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Would you like a parrot on this shoulder, or _this_ shoulder?" She pulled the same thing that Fred had tried during their second tutoring session.

"Uh, that one," Fred answered as Harper watched on in interest.

"Which one?" Onyx asked, confused.

"_That_ one."

"Which one?"

"The other one."

"What?"

"No, the other one."

"You only have two shoulders!"

"Yes, but I like the other one better."

"Fred Weasley, you are impossible," Onyx fumed.

"Impossible? That is simply not possible. I am outpossible."

Onyx gave a huge sigh and left. Her plan had failed yet again. Those Weasley twins were just too good.

Harper was smirking when Onyx got back.

"Shut up," Onyx told her.

"I didn't say anything."

"Well, you were thinking it," Onyx accused.

"Well, yeah, that's true," Harper admitted. It was almost uncanny how she and Onyx knew what the other was thinking, but considering how long and well they had known each other, it was hardly surprising.

She and Onyx had been friends since before they had been accepted to Hogwarts. Both raised as Muggles, they found it very helpful to have a friend at the school who could serve as moral support as they got lost in the wonders of the wizarding world. Harper was more reserved than Onyx was, much more quiet and contemplative, whereas Onyx often acted without giving the consequences much thought. Onyx was also the more athletic of the two, which was perhaps why the boys all liked her. Harper never received any attention from the male gender, which suited her just fine as she thought that teenage dating was frivolous and wasteful.

Onyx gave a loud yawn. "I'm exhausted," she told Harper. "I think I'm going to head upstairs and hit the sack."

Harper looked thoughtful. "Who do you think it was that came up with that saying? Why on earth would you _hit_ the sack? What did that have to do with going to sleep?"

Onyx laughed and shook her head. "It's amazing that you even care," she said as they said goodnight to Fred and went upstairs to their dormitory. "I don't know anybody else who would ask that."

Fred sat by the fireplace, thinking, which was quite the feat: he never took time to just think. But why on earth would Onyx try to do the pirate trick? Just because she wanted to know what he had done that morning? That was probably it, but maybe not…

George brought Fred out of his thoughts. "Fred, I have some news," he announced, coming back from where ever it was he had been.

"What is it? Snape didn't catch us, did he?" Fred asked, not sounding as worried as he should have been.

George shook his head. "No." He took a deep breath, as if he were about to take a deep plunge. "I'm in love with our Professor."

Fred stared at his twin. "WHAT? You're in love with SNAPE?! George, we've already gone over this! He doesn't love us back!"

"Ew! No, Fred," George said, shaking his head in disgust. "Our Professor." He looked at Fred as though it were obvious. "You know, our Professor?"

"George, what exactly is going on between you and McGonagall?" Fred asked slowly, keeping his voice low so that nobody could overhear.

George gagged. "Fred, please, let's be serious here. Not the Professors, _our_ Professor. Can it be any more obvious?"

Fred suddenly got it. And then he got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so, brother. I've got it bad. She's all I think about, I can't get her out of my head. She's been running through my head so much, her feet must be killing her."

"Uh…" Fred was at a loss as to what to say. It was fairly unusual for George to have feelings for a girl. He just didn't think of them that way, probably because he just didn't like the girls at Hogwarts. They tended to be cliquey and rather self-centered. And they had no sense of humor, a definite drop in points. Also, that had been a lame joke on George's part.

"Yeah, that was a bit dramatic. But true, nonetheless." George plopped on the couch. "Ah, to be in love," he sighed.

Fred just walked away, shaking his shaggy red head at his misfortune, when he stopped. He turned around to look at George, laying there with a silly little smile on his face. "But, why?"

George looked at him. "Why what?"

Fred came back over to the couch. "Why do you like her?" he asked.

George looked confused. "I don't know, it's just this feeling I get whenever I'm around her."

"Oh." Fred thought for a minute. "Are you sure it's her and not, say, Hermione?"

George practically fell off of the couch. "Hermione?" he sputtered. "You think I really like _Hermione_?"

"Okay, bad example," Fred allowed. "But you know what I mean."

"I'm pretty sure it's our Professor," George told him, settling on the couch once more. "Who else could it be?"

Fred went up to their dormitory, pondering this exact question. He opened the door to his room and slumped onto his bed.

"What's eating you mate?" Lee Jordan asked upon seeing his friend.

Fred let out a groan.

"Bird trouble?"

Fred nodded.

"You just need to make a move, mate."

"Can't now," he sighed. "She was already on a date with Cedric tonight."

"Shite! Really?" Lee gasped. "There's no recovering her from that one."

It was no secret that Diggory was a black hole for girls. Once he set his sights on one, there was no going back from the It Boy.

"Fred, you've liked her since first year, are you really going to sit back and do nothing?"

Fred paused. His feelings for Onyx were strong, stronger than he even realized. All the studying with her and being in such close proximity had only increased his longing for her. And Merlin, her smile. Fred nearly melted each time he made her laugh and that grin graced her lips. But Cedric had her in his clutches now. What was he to do? "No, George had a few ideas on that."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day after classes were over, Onyx was waiting for Cedric out on the fountain in the courtyard. Harper was nice and decided to leave Onyx completely alone and wasn't even in close proximity of the courtyard. Unfortunately, the Weasley twins weren't nearly as thoughtful or nice. Well, not today at least. They were hiding behind a giant bush where they could see everything, especially the fountain.

"There he is!" Fred hissed to George as Cedric approached the fountain. "So, why are we doing this, again? I thought you loved her."

George rolled his eyes. "Be quiet, would you? Anyways, she looks better wetter. But the plan is, we run over and push them both in the fountain. And then we run away."

"Oh, that's easy. This will be fun. Pretty Boy needs a bath, anyway." Fred looked at the fountain. "Wait, be quiet, they're talking. When do we go?"

George considered. "How about when they are…finished talking. Or anytime they get really close. Like a hug. Or a troll kiss."

They quietly laughed maniacally as Onyx and Cedric sat there on the fountain, oblivious to the impending doom that awaited them.

"So," Cedric said, with no hint of awkwardness in his voice. "How are you? Snape beat up on you at all?"

Onyx laughed. "No, he didn't. He gave Ollie a lot of grief though. Since we won and all."

"I still say you guys cheated," Cedric told her seriously.

"Man, that's whack," Onyx laughed.

"You know I'm just kidding," Cedric assured her. "You guys beat us fair and square."

"Yes, we did. So, what did you want me to meet you here for?" Onyx asked.

"Well, to be honest, it's one place that Cho never comes to, and she's been following me around everywhere lately. Plus, I wanted to see if you wanted to do something tomorrow night. I realize there's no place to really go to on an official date here at the castle, but I do know of one place…" he looked at her coyly.

"Really? Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. Where do you want to meet? And when?"

Cedric looked relieved that she agreed to go. "Meet me at the portrait of the fruit bowl in the dungeons at 7 Saturday night."

"The dungeons? What on earth is down there?" she asked rather worriedly.

"Don't worry, it'll be great. Trust me."

That was when the twins saw their chance. With a blood-curdling battle cry, they ran out from behind the bush towards the couple and shoved them both into the fountain and then ran away with a gaggle of maniacal laughter.

Onyx and Cedric gasped for air as they surfaced from the water.

"What the heck just happened?" Cedric cried in shock, sputtering with the water in his mouth.

Onyx had to laugh. Those boys had gotten her good. In fact, Cedric looked good wet. It was like he was a hottie with a body. Fortunately, Onyx was wearing a sweater, so nothing could be seen. Yay. Cedric quickly asked if she was all right. After assuring him that she was, they both got up and out of the fountain, dripping wet. Everyone in the courtyard was staring at them. It was rather embarrassing. They rushed into the warmth of the castle and then had to go to their common rooms so that they could change. On her way up to the dormitory Onyx ran into Professor Snape.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, looking her over. "You are dripping water in the halls. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"Professor, it's not my fault, I got pushed—" Onyx quickly tried to explain, but Snape wouldn't hear it.

"Ten points, and it will be ten more if you persist with the arguing. Now hurry up to your common room and get dry. _Now!_"

The twins greeted Onyx when she finally got into the common room.

"Have a nice swim?" George asked as if he didn't know what had happened.

Fred looked confused. "Why are you so wet?"

She gave them a dirty look. "I don't know, I seem to have gotten _pushed_ into the fountain. Do you have any idea as to who would do that to me?"

"And Cedric," Fred reminded her. "Did you see his face? That was classic. Two points each, I must say."

"Oh, most definitely," George agreed. "We should have had a camera. Where's Colin when you need him?" He started to look around the common room. "Oh well," he shrugged, not being able to spot the eager youngster.

Onyx just shook her head and made her way to her dormitory. When Harper saw her she dropped the book she was reading in shock.

"What _happened_?!" she asked in horror. She then looked suspicious. "You didn't go swim in the lake, did you? Please tell me no."

"No," Onyx sighed. "We 'fell' into the fountain."

"Fell? Or pushed by some jealous rejected lover? And, who's 'we'?" Harper inquired.

"I don't have a rejected lover, Harps. It was Cedric and I, remember?" Onyx said. "And nobody is jealous of me. At least, I don't think so."

Harper gave her a knowing look. "Not someone jealous of you, someone jealous of_ Cedric_."

Onyx looked incredulous. "Who would be jealous of Cedric?"

"Well," Harper said. "Who pushed you in?"

Onyx froze. And then she shook off the thought.

Harper persisted, however, so Onyx admitted that it was the Weasley twins. Harper laughed at this, although Onyx thought that the situation was very serious.

"Wait, what does this mean? This is terrible!" Onyx cried in horror. "Does that mean that they…" She couldn't finish the sentence. It was too unbearable.

But Harper was shaking her head. "No, if it was them that's not what it means. You know them; they just go about doing stuff like that. They probably were just going after Cedric. Really, Onyx, don't worry about it. I thought it was someone else, like Malfoy or something. No, wait, he wouldn't do that because he likes you, he's just— what?" Harper stopped talking because Onyx was for some reason shaking her head.

"Malfoy may actually have done it because of that. He's been acting weird around me lately. He keeps calling me 'love' and stuff," she admitted. She had put off telling Harper about this because that would only make it seem all the more true and Onyx really didn't want it to be true.

Harper widened her eyes. "Really? Oh, Onyx, that's terrible! I can't imagine that pain that must cause you! Oh, poor, poor Onyx!" Harper got up and gave Onyx a hug. Onyx laughed at the mockery.

"But really," Onyx had to know. "you really think that the twins did it to get Cedric?"

Harper nodded assuringly. "I am quite sure. Quit worrying."

"Right. Yeah, sure." Onyx looked out the window. "I'm bored now. You want to go do something? How about a game of wizard's chess?"

"Uh, no. You always beat me at that. I prefer to retain my dignity, thanks."

Laughing, Onyx instead hit Harper with a pillow. A violent pillow-fight ensued until both girls flopped onto their beds in a faint.

Suddenly, Harper sat up. "You want to do something besides just lay here?" she asked. She hated sitting still. She had to be _doing_ something, otherwise she went stir crazy.

Onyx looked at her. Their beds were luckily right across from one another so that they could talk without calling across the room. "No," she answered. "I'm actually exhausted. Plus, I'm wet. I want to change and take a nap."

"Oh, you're such a bum," Harper accused, standing up. "Well, I want to go sit by the lake while it's still nice and warm out. Come find me when you're rested and dry."

"Sure thing," Onyx answered, already half asleep.

Shaking her head, Harper left the room quietly and then ran down the stairs. None of her friends were in the Common Room anymore, so she couldn't ask them if they wanted to join her. Oh well. It was a good thing she didn't mind being alone.


	5. Chapter 5

It was late afternoon and dinner would be in about an hour or so, but Harper wasn't really hungry anyway. A lot of students seemed to have her idea and were walking outside just like her. She found many couples under trees and friends studying in the grass. Thankfully, nobody was hanging out by the lake. So she found a secluded spot and sat down in the sand.

It was weird to think that Onyx was actually dating. And Cedric Diggory, of all people. He was the It boy of Hogwarts. Him and Harry.

She marveled at how she hadn't known that even Harry existed until she first came to Hogwarts. That was the disadvantage of being raised as a Muggle: you didn't know a thing of the wizarding world.

But as different as things were now, most of the adolescent problems were the same. The Quidditch Ball was a perfect example of that. What was Dumbledore thinking?! That had to be the worst idea Harper had ever heard of. It was making all the girls go insane already and the thing was about four months away! And dates were allowed; who had thought of _that_ brilliant idea? It would have been much more fun if the students didn't need dates. They could all just go and dance, no stress, no mess, no problem.

It even had Fred and George acting oddly. And towards Onyx, no less! Harper understood that this probably had to do with the whole tutoring thing but if it wasn't…

Onyx always got the guys. Even growing up, all the boys at their Muggle schools had liked her and ignored Harper. Sure, she had had her share of guy friends, but that was all they were: friends. Either that or they were using her to get to Onyx.

"You enjoy your own company, don't you?"

Harper jumped and gave a small scream as George appeared out of nowhere. He laughed at her fright.

"You must've been deep in thought," he snickered. "I haven't scared anybody that badly in two years."

"What did you do that for?" she cried, heart pounding. "You know I startle easily!"

"I do now." He sat down in the sand next to her. "I actually don't know you all that well, I just realized."

She glanced at him. "So? I'm not all that interesting."

"I doubt that. You are probably one of the more fascinating people here at Hogwarts," he answered.

She snorted.

"You don't think so?" he asked, trying to smother a laugh. He just found it funny.

"Onyx's far more fascinating than I am," she said, looking out over the lake. She almost sounded regretful.

George cleared his throat. This was already not going as planned. Why was she always so spontaneous and unpredictable? "Well, okay, you got me there," he admitted.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"How can you find that funny?" he cried. "You're laughing at all the wrong things!"

"Why? Are you trying to make me laugh?" she asked him. "Why would you want to do that?"

He gave a shrug. "You looked like you needed some cheering up."

Harper was taken aback. "You have a heart?" she gasped. "I can't believe this! All those years of relentless tormenting and it turns out that you have a heart after all! This is amazing, I never would have thought—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he interrupted. "I suppose we can be cruel at times," he allowed.

"That's not it," she told him. "It's just that you never seem to care or have any feelings of remorse. Or any feelings at all, for that matter."

"Oh, I have feelings all right," he muttered.

"What was that?" she asked, watching the giant squid poke a tentacle into the air.

Good. She hadn't heard him. "Nothing," he told her. "But do you really think that? About me being a heartless git and all?"

She glanced at him. "I don't think you're a heartless git," she said.

"But you said I was."

"I said no such thing!" she exclaimed. "I just said that you had a heart after all."

"No, you said, and I quote, 'George is a heartless git who will never get a girl because he's so bloody unlovable'," he said, looking very serious.

Harper looked at him in disbelief. Why was he always joking like this? And who said anything about love? "Then you must be quoting somebody else because I would never say that about you."

He leaned against his elbows and raised his eyebrows. "Well then, what _do _you say about me?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing," she stated simply. "I try to avoid that subject."

"What subject?"

"You."

"Why?" he asked, getting a mischievous look in his eye. "Is it because the mere mention of my name sends shivers up and down your spine?"

"Uh, no."

"Then it's because your heart flutters each time you look at me."

"No, it's not," she insisted.

"So that means it's because your palms get sweaty each time you think of me," he decided.

"No, it is not! Stop making it sound like I'm in love with you or something!" she burst out. Then she sat back, arms folded across her chest. He really was annoying her. He just didn't know when to stop.

"So _now_ it comes out!" George cried triumphantly, sitting up in excitement. "You love me."

"What? No I don't! Stop putting words in my mouth!" she demanded.

He grinned. "I bet you want me to put more than just words in your mouth," he teased.

She glared at him as he sat there, grinning at her. Then she started laughing. She couldn't help it; as gross as that joke had been to her, it was funny.

George watched her warily as she lay there, cracking up. "You really _do_ laugh at all the wrong things," he observed in wonder. "There is something seriously wrong with you."

This, for some reason, made her laugh harder. She laughed and laughed and laughed, unable to stop. By the time she got a stitch in her side, George was laughing, too. Those who observed them must have been wondering what was wrong with them because they were rolling around in the sand, laughing hysterically.

"Something seriously wrong with me," Harper repeated amid a fit of hysterics. "I don't know why it's funny, it just is!" And she fell back, laughing again.

"It wasn't that funny," George said, laughing almost as much as she was.

"Then why are you laughing so hard?" she giggled.

"Why are _you_ laughing so hard?" he shot back.

The way he said it sounded funny to her and that coupled with the ridiculousness of it all got her started all over again.

She couldn't help but notice, as she was doubled over in laughter, that the sun was setting. "Sunset," she barely managed to say.

George looked and was practically blinded by the bright light of the setting sun. "Ow!" he said, covering his eyes. This, of course, just made them both laugh harder.

Finally, the laughter subsided enough for them to catch their breath.

"That," George said, panting a bit and rubbing his side. "Hurt."

Harper laughed and he sent her a warning glance. With a contented sigh, she lay down in the sand and watched the rest of the sunset. It was beautiful and the thought occurred to her that it was actually quite romantic. She glanced at George, suddenly aware of what she had just thought. "Well, if you hadn't made me laugh in the first place, you wouldn't be in this much pain," she teased, trying to bring her sanity back.

"Stop with the jokes!" he cried. "That's _my_ area of expertise! You're not allowed."

"You aren't one to make rules, George Weasley," she told him. "All you do is break them."

"I have help," he smirked, laying down next to her. "What are you looking at, anyway? It's just the sun. It does this every bloody night."

She inched away from him; he was a bit too close for comfort. And the sunset wasn't helping. "It's still fun to look," she said defensively.

He glanced at her.

"What?" she asked, painfully aware that the sky was now nearly the color of his hair. She cursed herself for noticing, and then argued that it was a perfectly normal thing for her to pick up on.

"Why do you think this is fun?" he asked, clearly not seeing it and unaware of her inner struggles. Also, now that they had calmed down, he decided to try and get to know her better, which is what he had intended to do in the first place.

She shrugged. "It just is. Some people find it romantic," she found herself saying. "But I actually think it's better when one is _alone_ because then you can just lie here and think."

"Is that a nice way of asking me to leave?" he asked. "Because I can take a hint."

"No, that's wasn't a way of telling you to leave," she smiled, looking back at the sky. "But you can if you want."

He looked surprised. "Now _that_ was a hint."

"Only if you want it to be," she said, still looking at the sky.

He narrowed his eyes. "You're a very hard person to understand, did you know that?"

"Yes."

"It's not a very nice thing to be," he informed her. "Very unattractive."

"So?" she laughed. "I don't care."

"That's also what makes you weird," he continued. "You just don't care about the whole guy/girl dynamic. It's like it's beneath you or something."

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "And?"

"It's insane!" he cried. "I'm not used to it! Any other girl would jump at the chance to be here with me, right now at this very moment. But to you it's no big deal. They'd probably be feeling all awkward right now, too, and I can tell that you don't think this is."

She snorted. "I do now."

He looked slightly shocked.

"Just kidding," she assured him. "This isn't awkward."

"But why _not_?!" He was almost looking frantic, like her behavior was too difficult for him to fathom.

Harper sat up. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern. "Perhaps I should take you to the hospital wing, maybe you've had too much fresh air. Or maybe you hurt something while we were laughing."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" he yelled. "I just want to talk!"

"Okay…" Harper said slowly. She had no idea what was going on with George, but he was really starting to worry her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I dunno, you," he said in a bored tone, laying back down.

"Me?" she repeated. "What on earth do you want to talk about me for?"

"I want to get to the bottom of this mystery," he announced, now much calmer.

"What mystery?" Harper truly felt like she was missing something important.

"The mystery that is Harper," George said dramatically.

Harper lay back down in the sand. "Well…what do you want to know?"

"Hmmm," he said, pretending to think really hard. "How about everything?"

"That's impossible," she laughed. "Even I don't know everything about me."

"Kinda a weird thought, isn't it?" he asked suddenly.

Harper sighed. George was in a really, really weird mood tonight. What on earth did he want to know **her** for? "You are so random," she told him. "That's something I would say."

"Why thank you, thank you very much," he said. "And now, question number one: What is your favorite…color?"

Harper thought for a few seconds. "Blue."

George gasped. "A Ravenclaw color! How dare you! Wait until Professor McGonagall hears about this!" He pretended to look really angry at her but his attempts just made her laugh.

"Who cares what my favorite color is?" she asked him, still chuckling.

"Who cares? I care! Isn't that enough?" He now looked hurt.

"Okay, fine, whatever. What else do you want to know?" she wondered.

"Do you like bacon?"

"Do I…what?" She looked at him, not sure if he was being serious or not. "What does that have to do with anything—"

"Hey, I'm asking the questions here," he said sternly. "So now tell me, do you like bacon?"

"No."

"What is your favorite subject?"

"Either Charms or History of Magic."

George gagged. "History of Magic? What kind of person likes_ that_ class?"

"A weird one," she answered simply. "Why, what's your favorite class?" she asked curiously.

George had to think long and hard about that one. "I'd have to say…Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Really? Why?"

"Because there haven't been any decent Professors so it's really easy," he told her with a grin.

"You are so lazy," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he said, watching the couple underneath the nearest tree. The girl's head was resting on the guy's shoulder and they appeared to be studying together. "How long do you bet before they start making out?" he asked Harper, nodding towards the couple.

He looked up to see Harper's face bearing a look of disgust. He suddenly grew worried.

"Why do guys have to care so much about that?" she said with contempt. "Don't you have anything else on your minds?"

"Um…no."

"Liar," she accused. Then, "Two minutes."

"What?" George had been watching the couple again and hadn't been listening.

"I give them two minutes," she said again.

He looked at her, a sly smile on his face. "Well, look who doesn't have anything else on her mind," he mocked. "Hypocrite."

"Hey, I was just answering your question," she said innocently. "That doesn't mean I'm as bad as you are."

"No, you're worse," he said. "Far worse, no wonder guys don't like you." He immediately regretted those words as soon as he said them but they didn't seem to faze Harper at all. She just laughed.

"Is _that_ why? I've always wondered." She sounded fine then but she fell silent.

George glanced at her. "Hey, you know I was just joking…" he began.

"Yeah, I know," she said quickly. "But that doesn't mean it's not true, though, does it?"

George was now _really_ regretting the joke. "It's not…_entirely_ true. I mean, I'm sure guys like you. You just don't know it."

She still didn't say anything and just lay there silently.

He leaned over and peered into her face. "You can't be _that_ against dating if not having a guy upsets you this much," he commented. "It's just not right."

Perhaps it was because he was so close to her. Or maybe it was because he had hit a nerve. But either way, suddenly Harper was feeling really uncomfortable. She tried hard not to show it but she could tell that he knew. To get out of his gaze, she turned her attention towards the couple under the tree. "How long has it been?"

George shrugged. "About two minutes. Why?"

Harper stood up and, while wiping the sand off of herself, said, "Because I just won the bet."

George whirled around and sure enough, there they were. "Aw geez," he muttered. "Good thing I didn't make a wager. I don't owe you anything." He looked back at Harper and saw that she had a very coy smile on her face.

"Oh, I'll think of something."

George had no idea what to think as he started making his way back to the Common room. It had been dark when Harper left him by the lake, assuring him that she would think of something to even up their wager. He found that he was exceedingly wary about what sort of ideas she would come up with. She was an entirely different person than he had thought. It was too bad she was so against dating…

Wait, what? George didn't just think that. He couldn't have, he liked Onyx. Onyx, who was now going out with Pretty Boy and was practically giddy about it. And yet…

He had had a really good time that night, sitting by the lake with Harper, watching the sunset. It only just now hit him that they had been watching the sunset. How cliché. And he hated cliché.

Maybe she was right; perhaps he _should _go to the hospital wing. Something really must be wrong with him if he was thinking like this. It wasn't normal.

When he got to the Common room, he found that it was essentially empty except for the few slackers who had waited until the last minute to finish up their homework for the next day. Laughing at them, George went up to his dormitory and soon fell asleep, more confused than ever.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day was a Saturday, and Onyx could not wait until the weekend, but she especially couldn't wait until that night. Not only was it the day of the first challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but it was date night with Cedric. She had no idea what she and Cedric were going to do at the portrait of the bowl of fruit, but she was willing to trust him. How could she not? Perhaps it was just a meeting place and they were going to go somewhere else later. She had no idea and it was all she could do to sit, do homework, go to the challenge (which was dragons, by the way), and wait. It was boring. Except for the dragons part. The dragons were cool. And she got to cheer on Cedric which was always nice, even if she didn't get a chance to see him before or after the challenge because he had a swarm surrounding him at all times. All she could do was give him a wave and throw him a smile whenever he looked her way.

Harper, meanwhile, was thankful for the challenge and the distractions it offered. She was so focused on each of the champions while they fought the dragons (DRAGONS. THERE WERE DRAGONS AT HOGWARTS!) and her worry for Harry that she almost forgot all about her problems with George. She could tell that Onyx was eager for the day to end, however. This could have been because Onyx told her every free moment they had.

"When will this day be over?" she wailed at lunch after they left the victory party that the Gryffindors held for Harry in the Common Room.

"Relax, Onyx," Harper told her. "You only have a few more hours to live through. It's not like you have to fight a dragon or anything."

"But that will be impossible!" Onyx wailed again, completely missing what Harper considered to be a top-notch joke.

So Harper gave an impatient sigh and turned her attention to her food. She had decided not to say anything to Onyx about the night before. First of all, there had been no time, really, to explain it and Onyx was too distraught to pay attention to her anyway. So Harper kept it to herself, not even divulging to Hermione and Ginny, who had been leaving dinner when she came in. Ginny, she knew, would be elated and make it into something it's not and Hermione would just smile knowingly. There really was no reason to tell them if she already knew their reactions.

And so she devoted the day to her studies, and admiring dragons, instead of dissecting the situation, which she knew she would do the second she had some spare time to herself. She also tried to avoid George, which was proving to be quite difficult seeing as the bulk of their day was meshed together. However this did not keep him from giving her a quick tease each opportunity he could take.

He even did it at lunch, and Hermione, who was sitting across from them, raised her eyebrows questioningly at Harper, who quickly shook her head.

"So Harper," Ginny started, sitting down on the other side of Onyx and changing the subject from the challenge for the first time in an hour. One can only dissect the strategy of each champion for so long before it got boring. "You never did tell us what you had been doing at the lake last night."

Harper choked on her pumpkin juice and George popped his head up.

"Are you okay?" Onyx asked, paying attention to her for the first time all morning.

Harper gave a nod. "Um, why do you want to know?" she asked Ginny in what she hoped was a nonchalant way.

"I was just wondering," Ginny shrugged. "You didn't come to dinner so you had to have been out there for awhile."

"Yeah, I was."

"So, what were you doing out there the whole time?" Ginny pressed. "I know you weren't studying because you didn't have any of your books with you."

_Curses,_ Harper thought to herself. _Why does she have to be so observant? _"I was just watching the sunset," she said simply. "While it was still nice out. I know it's going to start snowing any time now."

Hermione looked at her. "Watching the sunset," she repeated.

Harper nodded. They knew, they suspected something!

"Alone?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you know," George broke in. Harper cast him a frightened glance.

She didn't know why she was acting this way, she just didn't want the others to know.

"I actually think it's better to watch sunsets when one is _alone_ because then you can just lie there and think," George announced.

Harper studied him. That was practically her exact quote from the night before.

"How deep," Fred commented, biting into a drumstick. "Very full of meaning. I think that deserves a point."

"Why thank you," George said appreciatively. "I do like to think that I am the wisest of us misfits."

"Who said we're misfits?" Ron asked.

"Me," George answered.

"So you were out there thinking?" Ginny asked Harper, trying to get back on subject.

"Yes, I was out there thinking," said Harper. "Why are you so desperate to know?"

"Everyone wants to know what you were doing," Fred told her. "Didn't you know?"

"What time is it?" Onyx asked suddenly.

"Time for you to stop wondering what time it is," George shot back. "That has to be the thirty-seventh time you've asked us today."

"But who's counting?" Fred added.

"I can't help it!" Onyx said defensively. "I just want it to be seven o'clock as soon as possible."

"Ah, yes, your big date with Pretty Boy." Fred looked none too happy as he said it.

"What? She has a date with him?" George acted as though he had just heard the news for the first time.

"Why yes, she does," Fred informed his twin. "He's going to take her drowning in the lake."

"Ooh, that sounds like a great date!" George answered, and then they started coming up with ideas for other 'great dates'.

Onyx watched them dismally.

"Do you two mind?" she asked exasperatedly. "Don't make fun of Cedric when I have a date with him tonight!"

Fred looked hopeful. "So, that means we can make fun of him when you _don't_ have a date with him." He turned to his twin. "Logical, isn't it?"

"I quite agree," George concurred. "So we can poke fun tomorrow."

"And the next day," Fred added.

"And the next day!" George finished gladly.

Harper snickered at them, making Onyx glare at her.

"Don't encourage them!" she hissed. "They only act when they have a receptive audience."

"Not true," Fred told her, adopting a professional air. "My brother and I will act out no matter what the circumstance."

Onyx glowered at them, prompting Harper to say, "Relax, they're only making fun of Cedric because they're jealous."

Everyone turned to look at them. Fred looked downright horrified. How did she know? And why did she go and announce it like it was the daily news?

"What?" Harper asked uneasily. She didn't like the attention. She glanced at the twins; Fred looked like he wanted to kill her and George looked amused. "I was kidding," she said.

"Sure you were," said George, the amused expression still on his face.

"Why do you think that you're the only ones allowed to make a joke?" she demanded angrily. "It's not fair!"

George shrugged. "Our jokes are the only decent ones," he said casually. "Isn't that right, Fred?"

But Fred still hadn't said anything. He sat there, glancing cautiously at Onyx every few seconds to see if she knew yet. But she, like everyone else, had gone back to her meal. They'd only chuckled at Harper's slip and didn't seem to have given it a second thought. Relief swept over Fred as he answered George.

"Of course. Our jokes surpass all others." He looked at Harper. "Some of us just aren't cut out for making funnies," he said dolefully, shaking his head.

"And some of us have more important things to do," Onyx cut in. "What time is it?"

"Now, I'm not going to tell you again—he doesn't love you!" Fred cried. "So stop asking already!"

"I just want to know what time it is!" Onyx was looking very upset and Harper decided that they should vacate the premises before things got ugly.

"Okay Onyx, let's go relieve some of that tension, shall we?" she suggested, getting up and pulling Onyx with her. "We'll see you guys later," she told the twins.

"But I want to see her relieve tension!" Fred said excitedly, making to stand up, but George pulled him back down and Harper glared at him, fully aware of what he was probably thinking.

"Boys," she muttered disgustedly as she led Onyx out of the Great Hall and up the staircase to the first floor.

"Did you see him?" Onyx asked glumly. "He isn't freaking out like I am."

Harper looked at her, totally confused. "Why would Fred be freaking out?"

Onyx looked ready to explode. Harper took a step back as Onyx cried, "Not Fred, _Cedric_!"

"Oh." Harper looked apologetic. "Well, I didn't see him so I really can't tell you…"

"Fine, I'll tell you," Onyx interrupted. "He wasn't freaking out. He was sitting there with his friends like tonight was no big deal! He was laughing, laughing! I bet he was laughing at me." She looked heartbroken.

Harper sighed. This is why she was so against dating, no matter what George said. Cursing hormones, she said, in the most understanding voice she could muster at the moment, "I'm sure that inside he's just as nervous as you are. In fact, he's probably counting down the minutes, too."

Onyx looked at her. "Really?" she asked quietly.

Harper nodded. "Really. So can you just try and survive the rest of the day like a normal person?"

Onyx gave her a small smile. "Sure, I'll try. But I'll probably fail," she warned.

"You'd better not. Otherwise I might have to curse you," Harper joked.

Onyx gasped. "You wouldn't! I have a date tonight!" she needlessly reminded Harper.

"I _know_!" Harper said tiredly. "Stop rubbing it in, would you? You have **got** to relax!"

"Right," Onyx said and she proceeded to take deep breaths in a yoga-ish way.

"Why are you acting this way, Nyx?" Harper asked in desperation. "This isn't like you. This isn't the Onyx that Cedric asked to go on a date with."

Her words hit Onyx like a ton of bricks. She hadn't realized how her behavior was unlike her usual self. She looked at the floor, suddenly feeling really stupid and immature. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm just so nervous!"

"I understand," Harper told her, putting a hand on her arm reassuringly. "So just stop."

"Stop what?"

"Being nervous!" Harper cried. By now, everyone else was being let out of lunch and heading towards their prospective classes. Harper glimpsed sight of the twins, walking with the rest of the gang. George looked up and caught her eye, giving her a grin.

For some reason disgruntled, she turned back to Onyx. "So are you going to be normal now?"

"Yes." Onyx stood up straight, with purpose. "I am now normal."

"What a relief," Harper said, glad it was finally over. "So how about them dragons?"

Finally, the day was over and evening came. The celebrations for Harry had finally ended, and Onyx hurried through her homework, and soon had nothing to do and two hours to wait. It was unbearable, even more so than the day before. Harper sat with her in the chairs by the fireplace, which was still sparking. A house elf must have tried to put it out in the night, because it seemed bigger than it had been the previous evening.

Harper sat there knitting in silence, but Onyx could barely sit still. She ended up poking the fire incessantly with her wand, which Harper warned her was bad for it. Onyx continued however and soon got very daring, much to Harper's dismay. She ended up burning the tip of her wand and Harper laughed at her. Onyx in return poked her friend with the burnt end and left a black mark on Harper's arm.

"Ow, it's still hot!" Harper cried, inspecting the wound.

Onyx laughed, looking at the clock. "Rats, it's only 5:30!" She looked dismayed. "What on earth am I going to do until seven?"

Harper looked thoughtful as the twins came in.

"'Ello, Professor," George greeted Onyx jovially. "Got a new lesson for us today or are you skipping out because you got a big date with ole Pretty Boy?"

"Because that would just be rude, you know," Fred added.

"And rude," George said.

"Not to mention rude," Fred finished.

"Is it not also rude to interrupt someone else's conversation?" Harper asked without looking up from her knitting.

"No," the boys answered in unison.

"Yes, it is," Onyx told them. "And he's not a pretty boy."

"Ah, so you admit he's ugly!" George cried out in triumph. He gave Fred a hi-five as Fred added, "He's Ugly McFugly." They then started a monologue where Fred played Cedric and George the unsuspecting passerby.

"Why hello there, unsuspecting passerby!" 'Cedric' said.

George suddenly screamed and covered his eyes. "The ugliness, the ugliness! MY EYES!"

Onyx rolled her eyes while Harper cracked up. She quickly stopped laughing, however, when Onyx glared at her.

"Oh, come on, it was funny!" Harper defended herself while the twins continued with the Adventures of Ugly McFugly. He now was getting kicked out of a hair salon. He had already been chased out of a park. They got a third year, Stuart, to join in. He often ran up to Ugly McFugly and then ran away in horror, screaming in absolute terror.

Onyx got so fed up that she left to go clear her head. Harper stayed behind to watch the continuing Adventures of Ugly McFugly. Onyx walked around for quite awhile and ended up in the library where she found, of course, Hermione.

"Aren't you supposed to be tutoring Fred and George?" Hermione asked from the inside of a book.

"Well, kind of. I have a date with Cedric tonight."

Hermione put down her book and looked surprised, much like George had done earlier at lunch.

"And then the twins started on this thing where Cedric was Ugly McFugly or something just as ridicidunk," Onyx continued.

"Ugly McFugly?" Hermione asked curiously. "That sounds mildly humorous."

Onyx shook her head. "It's not. It is a direct attack against my Cedric and I don't like it and now everyone is going to go around calling him 'Ugly McFugly' and Cedric won't like me anymore!"

Hermione stood up and tried to relax Onyx but to no avail. Onyx had worked herself into a frenzy again and could not be pacified. It was not until Hermione hit her with a book that Onyx stopped ranting.

"Thanks for that," Onyx said appreciatively. Hermione nodded.

"Just relax. It's six now, you only have an hour and this whole Ugly McFugly thing isn't going to last. So relax and breathe. No, really, breathe. Onyx!"

"Sorry. Breathe…breathe…" Onyx took a few deep breaths and relaxed a little. A little. But not enough.

"But what if it doesn't calm down? What if people end up calling him that all the time? He'll blame me! And what if—"

Hermione gave up and walked away. Onyx chased after her.

"Sorry. I'm relaxed now, I promise."

"Are you sure? Because if you have more rants, my back will be glad to listen." She turned and smiled at Onyx.

"No, I'm all done. What were you studying, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said quickly, trying to hide the book behind her back.

But Onyx had caught sight of the book's title. "Love Potions for the Loveless," she read aloud. She looked at Hermione. "What on earth are you reading that for?" she asked in shock.

Hermione stopped walking and turned to face Onyx. "Fine, I'm reading it because I want to know more about them. I surprisingly don't know anything about them except for the obvious facts." She started walking again.

"But why are you reading up on them? Why the sudden interest?" Onyx asked.

"To be honest, I think that someone is using one," Hermione admitted.

"Really? Who?" Onyx was shocked that somebody would use a love potion since they were forbidden at Hogwarts.

"I'm not sure," Hermione told her, biting her lower lip. "But that's why I'm reading up on them, I want to know what the signs are and then I can find whoever is using it."

"Wow, that's very clever. I never would have thought of that, Hermione."

Hermione blushed with pleasure. "Well, it's not my cleverest idea ever, but it's a good one. Would you like to help me?"

Onyx nodded. "Do you just need me to read about them?"

"Yeah, and then we can compare notes and try to decide who is using the potion."

They walked up the stairs back to the Gryffindor common room. "Who do you think is using the potion?" Onyx asked with interest.

Hermione then looked almost disappointed. "I'm not quite sure yet. But I'm certain that it's someone we know. I've seen some of the ingredients around the Common room so it's fairly obvious."

"Um, wouldn't it be obvious if someone was using a love potion?" Onyx asked. "I mean, wouldn't we notice that someone suddenly went all kooky on us?"

"That's what I thought, but since I've been reading about the potions, I came to realize that there are different strengths," Hermione explained. "Someone could just be drinking the least strong one. It won't affect anything nearly as much."

"Huh." They passed a bunch of first years who all wanted Onyx's autograph since she was such a great Quidditch player. After that distraction, they made it to the common room and rushed inside. They found that the twins were still acting out the Adventures of Ugly McFugly. This was amazing to Onyx, as she had been gone for nearly an hour.

"Are you two still at this?" Onyx asked in an exasperated voice. They answered by crying out, "The ugliness! The ugliness! My eyes, how they burn!" The twins had gone from acting like just Cedric was ugly to acting as though everyone was ugly. This was especially humorous when they looked at each other and screamed.

Because they were identical. Get it?

Hermione and Onyx marched past Fred, George, and Stuart to sit by Ron, Harper, and Harry. "Have they been at this all night?" Hermione asked Harry. He nodded even as George fell to the ground in a faint from the ugliness.

George then looked up at Onyx. "So, when do we start our amazing learning journey?" he asked.

She looked down on him. Ha ha. "Not tonight. I'm giving you a break for Thanksgiving. And my date."

"A break?" Fred cried, pretending to faint also. "How can we take a break from the amazing learning journey? And Thanksgiving is next Thursday! You aren't giving up on us, are you? Oh, don't tell me that you gave up on us!"

"I'd give up on you if I were her," Ron muttered. "Bunch of barnacles…"

"What did you say, Ickle Ronniekins?" George asked his little brother. "Are you insulting us? You wouldn't be insulting us, would you?"

"Lay off, guys," Hermione reprimanded. "You're getting on everybody's nerves."

"What?" George got up. "People have nerves? That is shocking. Did you know that, Fred?"

"No," Fred answered. "I did not. Nor did I know my name was Fred, I thought I was George."

"What? That is codswallop. I am obviously Fred," George said.

"Nonsense," Fred said, also standing up. "_I'm_ George!"

"How dare you!" George cried. "Taking my name like that. You should be ashamed."

Fred bowed his head. "Sorry, Fred."

"That's more like it, George. Now we know who's boss, don't we?"

"Yes, we do, and it's me, Fred."

"No, I'm George! You barnacle head!"

The others let them bicker while they tried to help Onyx pass the last hour. Harper was still knitting and Ron and Harry were reading through their Potions book. Not much help there. Onyx and Hermione sat down near Harper, who looked up from her scarf.

"Any more of this and I will curse them with yarn for hair," she said, nodding at the twins and Stuart.

Hermione looked at Harper in surprise. "Do you really know a spell that would do that?"

"Uh, no. I wish I did, though. Especially now."

"Do you?" Fred asked.

"I'm sure you do," George added.

"Life is so boring-"

"When people aren't making fools of themselves."

"Like you," Fred said to the girls.

"How about some candy?" George produced a plate of some of their tricky treats.

"I'm sure that you would love some."

"It's yummy."

"And delicious."

"And tasty."

"Not to mention scrumptious," Fred sang in a high falsetto voice.

His awful voice made the girls cringe. "Please don't do that again," Onyx implored of Fred.

"Why?" he asked. "Does it make you happy? Does it make you want to sing with delight and hop and skip and forget all about Pretty Boy?"

The girls all looked at him with an odd expression on their faces.

"What,"

"Is it?" the twins asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You boys need to stop it or we will curse you into oblivion," she threatened.

"My my,"

"When did we get so violent,"

"Granger?" the twins asked.

"When you got so annoying," Harper retorted.

"Ooh," sang George.

"That would be never, then, wouldn't it George?" Fred asked.

"I daresay it would be," George answered. "Us? Annoying? That's not possible."

"Impossible."

"Improbable."

"Down right ridiculous."

"No need to be-"

"Insulting us, mate."

Harper looked at Fred with disdain. "I am not a 'mate', Fred."

"But of course you are!" George told her. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?" she asked. The only thing she had noticed was that George was picking on her more than usual. Which was hardly ever.

"That you two are absolute barnacles?" Hermione asked. "Yes, I think we noticed that when we first met you." She opened her Charms book and started to read.

"No," Fred told her. "Haven't you noticed that that when a girl spends all of her time with some mates, she turns into one, too?"

"It's a well-known fact, Hermione," George informed her. "I'm rather shocked that you of all people didn't know it. Aren't you, Fred?"

"Yes, quite shocked, actually," Fred replied. "Aren't you shocked, Harry?"

Harry did in fact look shocked. "Uh, yes," he stammered. "But I don't really think its true—"

"But of course it is!" George interrupted. "What rubbish you speak, Potter. What a shame,"

"We hold you in such high esteem," Fred finished. The twins grinned at each other.

"You two can't really believe that," Harper said. "Otherwise you would be girls by now."

Everyone let out an "oooh" in unison. Harper had just burned the twins. Not a common feat.

"Oh, that was clever, Harper," Fred conceded.

"Bloody brilliant," George added.

"Just one flaw,"

"It stank."

"Well, I certainly didn't want it to smell good, just sting," Harper replied, still working on her scarf. She didn't _mean_ to be acting cool towards the twins, she just was. Cursed hormones…

Onyx laughed but Hermione remained silent, trying to concentrate on her book, but failing what with all of the distractions. Ginny was watching Harper knit with interest. Ron was about to fall asleep. Harry poked him with his wand.

"Wha' is it? The dragons 'ere a'ready?" he woke with a start. They all laughed at Ron, which only further confused him. "What? They didn't attack already, did they?"

"They did, Ron," George told him seriously. "They got Harry." He and Fred both looked somber.

Ron glanced at Harry, looking confused. "Then who's this?" he asked. They all laughed at Ron's gullibility. "Really, who is this?"

"It's me, Ron, they're only playing with you," Harry assured him. The twins both glared daggers at Harry for foiling their prank.

"Now I wish the dragons _had_ taken you, mate," George told him.

Suddenly Onyx jumped. "What time is it?!" she cried.

Ginny looked at her watch. "Six thirty," she informed Onyx. "Half and hour to go."

"No, really she has fifteen minutes, who knows how long it will take to get to the dungeon," Harper said diplomatically. "She actually could get there a bit early. There's nothing wrong with that."

Onyx was shocked. She hadn't thought of that before. She could go early! "Why, Harper, it's brilliant!" she cried in jubilation. "I can go early!"

"Just not too early," Harper warned. "Then again, you don't even know where this place is. You might get lost. In fact," Harper looked at the clock. "You might want to go _now_ to make sure that you don't get lost. Who knows how long it will take you to get there?"

Onyx jumped up and ran out the portrait.

Fred looked at the others. "A bit eager, isn't she?"

Just then she ran back inside. "I forgot my wand," she quickly explained as she ran up to the dormitory. She came back down two minutes later wearing a completely different outfit, wand in hand. "See ya!"

"Well, I guess she's gone, then," George informed the group. "Unless she forgot something else."

Onyx ran back in. "Forgot my shoes!" A few minutes later she came back down from the dormitory again, this time wearing shoes. "Okay, bye. I'm really leaving this time, I promise."

"Leave already!" Fred yelled. "And don't forget to tell Ugly McFugly that we said hi!"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you for the Guest Review! We are glad you are enjoying our story so far. In regards to Thanksgiving, chalk it up to a lapse in judgement. Hogwarts is in England as always. Carry on._

Onyx flew down the steps and almost tripped several people. She practically fell down an entire flight of stairs at one point. She finally made it into the dungeon and then slowed down. Snape might catch her running and take more points from Gryffindor. She turned around a corner and saw Malfoy at the end of the hall. She didn't need to go to the end, just halfway, for there was another hallway and that was the one that she thought she needed. But he would see her. _Rats._

He was talking to Crabbe and Goyle and they seemed to be in the middle of a serious conversation.

"I'm telling you, pumpkin juice is far better than prune juice," Malfoy told his cronies. Onyx rolled her eyes.

"No," Crabbe argued. "I think that coffee is the best. Especially the water kind."

"Fool, there is no water kind of coffee. Use your brains," Malfoy spat.

"What brains?" Crabbe asked dully.

"Exactly." Malfoy gave a sigh. He looked up as he saw Cedric approach. "Why, if it isn't old Pretty Boy. Wanting to change houses, are we?"

"Not in your life, Malfoy. I'm going to the kitchens," Cedric told him. He was a good head taller than the three Slytherins, Onyx noticed with glee.

Crabbe and Goyle perked up. "Can we come? We love the kitchens." Goyle licked his lips.

Malfoy looked at them in disgust. "Don't you think about anything other than food?" he asked them.

They shook their heads and Malfoy looked back to Cedric. "So, why is a Pretty Boy like you going to the kitchens? I'm certain that there are plenty of willing slaves who would bring the food _to_ you."

"Yes, well," Cedric said slowly, watching Crabbe and Goyle discuss their favorite food. "I don't use slaves, thank you, Malfoy. I leave that to the kind of people who _do_ own slaves— evil people."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at Cedric. "Evil, you say. You wouldn't happen to be talking about yourself, would you?"

Cedric had to smile. "That's almost as bad as mine was, Malfoy. Just do us all a favor and quit talking." Cedric turned to Crabbe and Goyle who were now looking at him with expectation. "Sorry, boys, maybe some other time. I really have to go now. I'm going to be late."

Crabbe and Goyle nodded and then continued comparing roast beef to chicken.

But Malfoy wasn't finished and certainly wasn't going to listen to Cedric's advice. "Late for what, a date with a house elf?" Malfoy snickered.

Cedric just rolled his eyes and continued down the hall.

"Must not be man enough to fight back," Malfoy said loudly.

Onyx watched Cedric walk towards her and turn into the other hall, shaking his head all the while. She quickly ran and followed him. Once again, she almost ran into him.

"Hi," she said breathlessly.

"Hi. Malfoy chasing you again?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Almost. That's why I ran. In case he saw me." She looked around. "So where is that portrait of the fruit? And why is it such a great meeting place?"

Cedric laughed. "It's the doorway to the kitchens. Didn't you know that?"

Onyx shook her head. "No, I had no idea it was down here, although I guess it makes sense."

"If you'll notice, we are right below the Great Hall. Or at least we will be when we get inside the kitchen. Here, let's go." He offered her his arm and they marched up to the portrait. Cedric reached up and tickled the pear. The portrait swung open to reveal a huge, elaborate kitchen.

Onyx and Cedric were greeted by countless house elves who offered them plates upon plates of food and goodies.

"Guys, wait until we sit down, will you?" Cedric laughed as a pie was shoved in his face—almost.

Onyx looked in amazement at the small table set for two near the fireplace. How romantic. Cedric held a chair out for her and pushed her seat in.

"So, what would you like? You don't need a menu, they'll make anything you like."

"Hmm," Onyx thought. "What do _you_ want?"

"I think I want a burrito. With a banana shake."

"I think I want a grilled cheese sandwich. And iced tea."

"Boy, we can have anything we want and we choose the plainest meals…" Cedric mused.

"Well, I really like grilled cheese," she told him defensively.

"And I like burritos. I might add a baked potato, however. Those are plain, too, though."

"Hmm, I want some crème Brule. That sounds really good right now," Onyx said as inspiration hit her.

He laughed. "Crème Brule?" he asked. "A bit fancy tonight, are we?"

"Well, it sounds really, really good to me. Plus you just said that we are too plain. Crème Brule isn't plain at all." Onyx looked across the table at Cedric. He certainly was not plain; he was so handsome at this proximity. She nearly forgot to breathe.

He caught her eye and tilted his head at her keen inspection.

Onyx immediately blushed and looked down, very embarrassed at her apparent ogling. "So dragons, eh? I can't believe how composed you were. I would have been scarred out of my mind," she offered as a quick change of subject.

Cedric's face contorted. "Not to be rude, but I can't even begin to tell you how much I would like to not talk about the challenge today because that is all anybody wants to talk to me about and it's getting irksome."

"Alright, that seems rather fair," she agreed. "No talk of dragons. Got it," she responded, finding immediate fascination with the hem of the table cloth.

He noticed her immediate disconnect. "I'm sorry Onyx, that came out more brash that I intended," he apologized rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Onyx grinned. "It's no problem. I can imagine everyone asking the same questions over and over would become rather draining."

He nodded his agreement. "So, you going to the Quidditch Ball?" he asked casually attempting to get the conversation flowing again.

As casual as it was, it caught her off guard. "The Quidditch Ball?" she repeated. "I forgot about that. I don't think I'm going. Why?"

He shrugged. "No reason. Just wondering."

While things got awkward in the kitchens, Fred Weasley got a feeling and he didn't like it: jealously. It was not like him and he didn't even know _why_ he was jealous, okay that was a bunch of bunk. He knew exactly why he was jealous and he couldn't help but keep thinking of the kitchen…

Finally, it hit him. It made him cringe. What's worse, it made him go up to Harry and ask to borrow his Invisibility Cloak. Harry, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, had lent it to someone else. So Fred paced around the common room for a few minutes, then went out into the rest of the castle, unable to stay in the common room under Harper's scrutinizing eyes. Soon Fred found himself walking down the halls to the dungeons, cursing himself all the way. He got to the portrait of the fruit and almost tickled the pear. He realized just in time that he had no idea what he would do if he went in. It would be awkward. And although he was the expert on awkward, this was something that he didn't think he could handle. So he left and went walking by the lake, trying to sort through his thoughts.

George, however, was making good use of the Invisibility Cloak. Nice of Harry to let him use it. He walked quietly down all of the stairways and halls lest someone hear him. He made it into the dungeons and went over to the portrait of the fruit and hesitated before he tickled the pear. It would probably look weird for the door to swing open without any apparent reason.

But, apparently, it happened all the time. As George stepped into the kitchen, an elf looked at the painting and said to his neighbor, "We have got to get Mr. Dumbledore sir to fix this painting, we do."

George looked around the kitchen, immediately overcome by the scintillating scents and aromas. But he shook his head and then headed over to the table where Pretty Boy and Onyx sat. He began to curse himself for doing this. He went up to the table just in time to hear Cedric ask Onyx about the Quidditch Ball. George groaned in disappointment, but thankfully neither of the others heard him. Also thankfully Cedric didn't ask her right there. So George had some time…

"What?" Onyx asked Cedric. "Are _you _going?"

"Me? No. Cho keeps trying to ask me, but I've just learned to avoid her." He gave a small smile. "It's kind of difficult, actually."

She looked at him sympathetically. Not that she had any experience with crazy ex-lovers or obsessed 'fans'. But still, she felt bad for Cedric, as it couldn't be fun being chased around all the time.

"I bet that gets annoying," she said.

He nodded. "It's getting kind of crazy, she waits outside of my classes to ambush me and ends up late for her own classes. And I have no idea how she gets out of her classes so early, but she's getting in trouble for it and blaming me!" He sighed. "It's driving me crazy!"

Onyx considered him. "I can't see you letting anything get under your skin," she told him. "You seem too mild-mannered and sweet."

Cedric pretended to blush, but she saw some actual red appear on his cheeks. George was disgusted by this blatant line crossing of manhood.

"Aww shucks!" Cedric said, batting his eyelashes. "That's sweet of ya ter say that," he said in a perfect mimic of Hagrid. "It made me day."

Onyx laughed while George tried desperately not to gag. It was difficult.

"No, really," she continued. "I never thought that there would really be something that bothers you like that."

"Trust me, there are quite a few things that bother me. Malfoy, for instance. He is quite bothersome."

George resisted the urge to go 'bother' Cedric but that would have given away his hiding spot, not to mention the fact that Onyx would probably hate him for spying on them in the first place.

"Do _I_ bother you?" Onyx asked sweetly.

"Oh, you are the worst," Cedric told her seriously. "Talk about bothersome. You are very distracting, I hate that."

George almost gave a huge gag and came _this_ close to beating Cedric to a pulp. Onyx, however, thought this was very sweet.

"I'm distracting? I've _always_ wanted to be distracting!" She thought for a second. "Not intentionally, of course."

George had enough. He left the two lovebirds and went into the kitchen. He found the basket of bread that an elf was about to bring out to Onyx and her date and sprinkled pepper on it. An elf caught a glimpse of the pepper shaker in the air, but shrugged it off. George knew it wasn't a great prank but he hoped that Cedric was one of those people who hated spice.

Turns out, he wasn't. "Mmm," Cedric said when they got the bread. "This is very good. I've never had bread like this before. Do you taste pepper?"

Onyx took a bite of the bread. "Yeah, I do. Weird. It's really good though."

George slapped his head in anger. And elf passing by looked up in confusion but walked on. Those poor elves.

The rest of their meal was brought out and George could hardly stand it. They kept laughing.

Laughing. Cedric was making her laugh. George was the one who was supposed to make her laugh! Disheartened, he decided to leave. He walked through the kitchen and was about to go through the portrait when it opened up. In stepped Malfoy. He almost knocked George over but he got out of the way just in time.

"Alright, slaves. I want something fancy to eat and you'd better not make me wait this time." Malfoy looked over and saw Cedric and Onyx sitting by the fireplace. "Oh, is _this_ where you were off to in such a hurry? A date with Onyx!" He looked around the kitchen. "How romantic."

"Buzz off, Malfoy. Nobody wants you in here. And quit treating the elves like slaves!" Cedric told him.

"But Pretty Boy, that's what they are! And I am free to come in here if I wish. If I wanted to come and join your table I'd be allowed to."

"No, you wouldn't," Onyx said quickly. "But you _are _allowed to leave."

"Ooh, good one, Onyx," Malfoy mocked. "I'm going to leave now just because you said that."

"Well, go on then," Cedric urged. "Leave."

Malfoy looked severely miffed. "Fine then. Just let me get my food and I'll be on my way." He turned to the elves. "Hurry up with my dinner, you scum!" He walked over to the portrait, in George's direction. George stuck out his foot and tripped Malfoy. Malfoy fell flat on his face and made everyone in the kitchen, including all of the elves, laugh. Malfoy quickly got up and fixed his hair. He glared at Cedric. "You did that on purpose!" he accused. His face was red and the elves continued laughing. Some were even applauding.

Cedric shook his head, still chuckling. "No, I didn't do that. Must have been the bad air that follows you around."

Malfoy stuck his nose up in the air and walked to the portrait once more. George stuck his foot out again and Malfoy tripped out the door. George then slammed the portrait closed and practically crushed Malfoy's foot. They all heard him scream out in pain as he pulled his foot away and limped down the hallway. George bowed, although nobody could see him. "Thank you, thank you," he said quietly to his invisible and deaf audience.

And with that he left the kitchens. He found Malfoy whimpering to Crabbe and Goyle about how Cedric 'cursed' him and the duel that ensued. George shook his head and then cast a spell that made Malfoy tickle. Crabbe and Goyle stood by uselessly while Malfoy twitched and tried to tell them the counter curse.

But George didn't stay long enough to see if Malfoy got cured. He walked slowly up the stairways, depressed. Onyx liked Cedric. It was now as obvious as Malfoy's lack of a heart. George gave a chuckle as he remembered the night before, how Harper had been shocked to learn that _he_ had a heart. He had surprisingly learned quite a bit about her.

But even so, things were getting very dark for George. About an hour later, for he had been going very slowly, he was in front of the Fat Lady. "Tulip," he whispered. She swung open, looking concerned.

George stepped into the common room. He pulled Harry's cloak off (only the group of them were in the common room. He didn't want everyone to know that Harry had that kind of a cloak. That would ruin everything).

"Oi! Why so glum, chum?" Fred cried upon seeing his brother suddenly appear. They all looked at his face and Ron quickly got out of his seat and offered it to George. George flopped into it and they all gathered around him.

"Where were you? What happened? Why is your face all, all, weird?" they all asked.

"Is this a prank?" Harper asked suspiciously.

He looked at her with a sad face.

"What?" she asked, suddenly concerned. "Did something actually happen? George, speak to us. Speak!"

He opened his mouth to speak and they all leaned in. He closed his mouth and they stood back. He opened his mouth and they all leaned in again. He started to smile. Harper poked him with her knitting needle.

"Ow!" He rubbed the sore.

"George! Tell us what is the matter right now!" Harper demanded.

"Fine, Miss Bossy. If you want to know so bad, go down to the kitchens and see for yourself!" He got up and stormed off— to the next chair.

"George, George, George," Fred said soothingly. "Whatever is the matter? Why all of this bottled up anger? There's no need to be mad at the world."

Harper laughed. "I think he's mad at the kitchens."

Hermione looked stern. "You didn't hurt the elves, did you?" she asked him.

He just glanced at her. "No, that was Malfoy. Thinks they're his slaves."

Hermione dropped her jaw. "His _slaves_?! Why the nerve—"

"Hermione, let George talk, will you?" Ron snapped.

She looked taken aback. "Ronald, those elves are not slaves and yet they are treated like dirt—"

"Hermione, really, just let George tell us what is making him so depressed," Harper suggested.

"But, those elves…" Hermione started.

"Zzt!" Harper said.

"Harper—"

"Zzt!"

Hermione huffed while the others coaxed George to talk. "George, really, tell us what happened! And why did you need Harry's cloak?" Ginny asked.

George blushed.

"George? Why are you blushing?" Harper asked again in a suspicious voice.

"Well," he started. They all leaned forward again. "Cedric and Onyx were in the kitchen," Harper raised her eyebrows, having a feeling as to where this was going. George ignored this. "And Malfoy came in."

"Spying on Onyx?" Harper cried. "I can't believe him, who would spy like that? I really hate it when people do that. It's sneaky and dirty and a horrible trait—"

George looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, well right," he cut in. "He came in and tried to start a fight with Cedric—"

"Ah ha, he's jealous!" Harper cried triumphantly. "A twist in the story!"

George looked uncomfortable again. "Right, jealous. Yeah, so I tripped him, twice."

"Sweet," Harry, Ron and Fred said in unison.

"Way to go, George. That was brilliant. Honored to be twins with you." Fred slapped George on the back.

"Yes, exactly. So that was fun, but Cedric and Onyx got all…weird. So I left."

"Where does the cloak come in?" Harper asked suspiciously for the third time. She had a bad feeling about this whole scenario, but she didn't want to be the one to say anything.

"Well, I used it. So Malfoy wouldn't see me trip him."

Harper still looked suspicious, but said nothing else.

"So," Ron looked at George. "That's it? You said that the kitchens were the problem."

"Oh, yeah," George said. "Cedric and Onyx were gross. All cutesy and junk. I couldn't stand it."

Harper continued to look suspicious so George looked away.

"Well, if that's it…" Ginny said, trailing off.

"Of course it is. That's all it was," George said simply.

"But you looked so upset earlier," Hermione told him.

"Yeah, it was a prank. Like Harper said." George got up and stretched. "Well, that's all, folks, I'm going to bed. Long day today, long day tomorrow."

"What? Is that really it?" Hermione cried. "You come up here looking heartbroken and just say that you tripped Malfoy? George, that really can't be all—"

"Oh, but it is, Granger, it is. Just shut your face and quit worrying," George told her as he started walking towards his dormitory.

Hermione looked furious. "George Weasley!" He didn't turn around. "You are a complete barnacle. I can't believe what a big jerk you are!"

George walked on, just waving back to Hermione.

Hermione stomped off herself, but to the girl's dormitory. Because otherwise that would be weird. And gross.

The others just looked at each other. "That was awkward," Harry said.

"Agreed," Ron agreed. "Hermione really has no patience for George, does she?"

"I wonder what _really_ made him upset?" Harper mused.

Ron looked at her. "He just told us. They were acting all cute and gross."

"What's wrong with that?" Ginny asked him.

Ron shrugged. "It's gross."

"Right," Ginny said sarcastically.

"I just can't see them acting like that," Harper said. "And why would that break George's heart?"

Onyx and Cedric were not being all cute and gross. Things actually got rather awkward after Malfoy left. Only because the elves were angry with Malfoy and lit the air with tension.

"Here's your food," an elf said, practically dropping the platter on the table.

They ate in silence because the elves decided to watch them enjoy their meal. It was awkward.

"So, uh," Cedric started. The elves leaned forward eagerly, frowning for some reason. "How's your grilled cheese sandwich?"

An elf whispered something into his neighbor's ear.

"Um, fine. What about your burrito?" Onyx questioned.

"Delicious," Cedric said. He looked at an elf standing right next to him. "It really is."

The elf looked relieved.

"Hey, I want to apologize for earlier," Onyx told the elves, deciding that she should say something to try and pacify them. "Malfoy came in here for me. At least, I'm pretty sure he did. Anyway, but he was wrong to treat you guys like that."

The elves all looked at Onyx with wide eyes. She didn't know whether she should be frightened or not. They were getting creepy.

"Nobody but the great Harry Potter and great man Dumbledore treats us like equals! You two are so kind! What souls!" one elf cried. He looked at them with two tennis-ball shaped eyes. "Thank you!"

Cedric and Onyx looked at each other in shock. This was not what they had expected from the elves. They had almost been hostile earlier.

"Um, you're welcome," Onyx told the elf. "But I really am sorry for his behavior."

"Oh, Dobby is sure of it, miss! Would you like some cream puffs?" he held up a platter of the cholesterol-ladened deserts. They both politely declined but thanked Dobby profusely.

Cedric and Onyx then continued to enjoy the evening with each other. They soon left the kitchens and decided to go for a stroll around the lake. It was dark when they got outside but they knew the grounds quite well so its not like they got lost. When they reached the lake, Cedric took Onyx's hand. It was very sweet. She blushed and if it hadn't been so dark she would have seen that his face was rather red, too. Double sweet. They mostly talked about Quidditch but this time about how good each other was. Triple sweet.

Cedric turned to Onyx. "You know, I had a really good time tonight. Even with the whole Malfoy thing."

"Well, me too. This has been really fun. And I have to admit that I enjoyed seeing him trip twice. Or was it three times? Maybe now he'll leave me alone."

"Or maybe not," said a voice and suddenly Cedric fell to the ground as Malfoy jumped on top of him. They fell into the water (quadruple sweet! They were wet!) and started to wrestle. Cedric was winning. Yay.

"Malfoy, stop it!" Onyx cried at him angrily. "What do you think you are doing? Don't you dare hurt him!"

Malfoy, however, ignored her. Jerk.

Finally the boys got up out of the water and Malfoy was right next to her…

And grabbed her. Around the neck.

As Cedric scrambled for his wand, Malfoy whispered in Onyx's ear, "Now I've got you, love."

This, above all the things he had done that night, was what made her the angriest. She had waited impatiently all day for this date and he was ruining it. "Don't _call_ me that!" she said through gritted teeth and she smashed him in the nose. He gave out a yell of pain and covered his nose, which had started to bleed.

Cedric had to smile. Apparently she _didn't_ need his help. Oh well. He liked her even more now that he knew she could take care of herself.

"You witch!" Malfoy cried, still covering his face.

Onyx shrugged. "I _am_ at Hogwarts."

"Augh!" Malfoy ran up to the castle and they didn't see him until lunch the next day. It was a welcome reprieve.

Cedric looked at Onyx with admiration. "That was amazing!" he told her. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Oh," she laughed. "I took kick-boxing a few years ago." She looked at Cedric. "Geez, you're all wet, Ced!" She took off her jacket and handed it to him. "Do you want to go inside and change into something a little more dry?"

He gave her an odd look. "Ced?" he repeated. He started putting on the jacket.

She blushed, and tried not to laugh—the jacket was a little small on him. "Is that what I said? Sorry it kind of came out automatically."

"No, no," he assured her. "I kind of liked it. And thanks for this, by the way," he added, indicating the jacket.

"Oh, you're welcome." She looked at him. "Well, then, Ced. You want to go inside? You aren't hurt, are you?"

He looked down at himself. He was dripping wet. "That might be a good idea. And, no, I'm not hurt." He once again offered her his arm. "Shall we go?"

She took his arm. "We shall." They walked back to the castle, laughing over Malfoy's possibly broken nose.

Unfortunately, the Hufflepuff common room was on a lower floor and the student curfew was minutes away, so they had to say goodnight.

"Well, I had a really, really great night tonight," Cedric said.

"Yeah, me too," Onyx smiled.

They stood there for a minute until Cedric bent down and gave Onyx a kiss on the cheek.

"Night."

"Night."

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to your common room?" Cedric asked her.

She nodded. "You'd get in trouble. There's not enough time for you to get back down here, I don't want you to risk losing house points."

"Well, thanks. I still feel bad, though. I don't mind losing a few house points for you."

"But your house will," she pointed out. "And you are the model Hufflepuff, it will look bad if you lose points for something so trivial."

"But it wouldn't be trivial at all, it would be—"

She interrupted by hushing him. She had heard footsteps.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I think it's…"

Snape. He came marching up the corridor, his black cloak flowing behind him with his stride.

"Quick, hide!" Onyx hissed. She saw a closet across the hall and ran into it, pulling Cedric in with her. She shut the door just in time. Snape walked past and seemed to pause when in front of their hiding spot. They both held their breath until he passed.

It was a small closet and, um, cozy. There was little air and so when they were sure that Snape was gone, Onyx reached for the knob and turned it. But, much to her dismay, it didn't turn.

The closet was strangely locked.

"Boy, I couldn't have planned this any better," Cedric said brightly.

"What are you talking about? Ced, we are locked in a closet. A very small closet."

"Yes, and a very cozy one, too," Cedric added.

"Now we're _really_ going to get in trouble. Good thing tomorrow is Sunday," Onyx sighed. "Hey, where's your wand?" she asked suddenly as she remembered that he was a wizard and that she was a witch, as Malfoy had kindly pointed out earlier.

"Where's yours? I think mine is out there. Or in the lake. Perhaps on the beach…" Cedric trailed off.

"I think mine's in the kitchen. No! That's the other thing I forgot! My wand! I must have left it when I got my shoes!"

Cedric laughed. "Oh well. Looks like we're stuck. What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know, getting out of here sounds like a good idea."

"What, that's terrible! All of this free time and you want to get rid of it?" Cedric tsked.

"Well then, what do you suggest we do to pass the time 'til we're rescued?" Onyx asked.

"I have a few ideas…" Cedric smiled. All of a sudden, Cedric was kissing Onyx again. And this time, it wasn't awkward at all. Yay. But just then, the closet door opened and both Onyx and Cedric toppled out of the closet and onto the floor.

"Cedric?" Cho asked. "What are you doing here, with her? In a strangely locked closet."

Awkward.

"Um, hi, Cho. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" Onyx said nervously as Cedric helped her up.

"Yes, thanks for letting us out. It was kind of…hot," Cedric said rather unappreciatively.

"Yeah. I'm claustrophobic," Onyx said.

Cedric looked at her in surprise.

"Really, I am claustrophobic, I promise!"

"Um, right. Well. Yes. This has been fun. I'll see you around, Cedric," Cho said. She completely ignored Onyx.

"Right. Um, why were you here, Cho, anyway?" Cedric asked curiously.

Cho got red in the face. "See ya!" she said quickly, running up the hall.

Cedric looked at Onyx. "Well, this has been an eventful evening, hasn't it?" he laughed.

"Yes, it certainly has. I really should be getting up to my common room, though. Before we get in trouble."

"Right." He kissed her cheek again. "Night."

"Night." And so she went back up to the Gryffindor common room. She didn't want to, but she really, really had to.

She had to wake up the Fat Lady, which didn't make the portrait happy at all. She quietly stepped into the common room and was about to head upstairs when a light turned on. She jumped even more when she heard a voice say, "Where _have_ you been?!"

She turned to find Fred Weasley sitting in a chair, arms folded. He wore a scowl.

"I have been worried _sick_! Out all night, past your curfew, I should ground you!"

"Ground me? Geez, Dad, relax. We got locked in a closet and—"

"_Locked in a closet?!_" he cried. "Is that supposed to be funny? I can't even imagine what you did in there, its too gross, and I told you to be home by nine, and here you are, at eleven thirty. Past not only my curfew but also past the school's. You should be ashamed."

Onyx rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs.

"I'm not done with you! Get back down here, young lady! Onyx!" he called after her.

When Onyx got into her dormitory, she found that Harper was still awake—knitting, of course.

Harper gave a shriek when she saw Onyx. "Oh my gosh, what happened?! Did a Professor catch you? How was it? He didn't kiss you again, did he?"

"Well, since you asked…" Onyx gleefully told Harper all of the details of all that had happened that night. Harper was a great audience, mostly because she gasped in all of the right places.

"I can't believe that Malfoy did that!" she cried angrily. "What a jerk! Did you really smash him like that?"

Onyx nodded.

"And you got locked in a closet. With Cedric." Again, Onyx nodded. "Wow. Guess you had fun tonight."

For the third time, Onyx nodded.

"Wow. Huh, well, we kind of had an interesting night ourselves. George came back looking horrorstricken or heartbroken, I'm not sure which, but he told us how he tripped Malfoy and stuff and said that you and Cedric were all cutesy so he left. Then he was acting all weird but I'm certain that he wasn't telling us the whole truth, I could just tell—"

"Wait, _where_ was George? He said that he tripped Malfoy?" Onyx was shocked.

"Um, yeah. You didn't know?" Harper froze. "Oh."

"What? What is it?"

"Um," Harper said, trying to buy some time. "Do you hear something? I think it's my bed, it's calling me. I need to get to sleep…"

"Harper! What did George do?" Onyx demanded.

"Well, he, he, uh…he used Harry's Invisibility Cloak. And went down to the kitchens. I was about to ask you why you didn't see him, but that's kind of obvious, isn't it? Anyway, he and Hermione got into a big fight and she stomped off in a huff. Not a big surprise."

"I heard that," a sleepy voice said.

"Yes, well, it was kind of interesting, as I said…" Harper tried to continue but the damage was already done.

"He spied on me." Onyx stated. "I can't believe it. He spied on me!"

"Yeah, well…" Harper was beginning to feel really guilty. There was a tingling sensation in her stomach.

"And he even yelled at me for being late! What nerve! I can't believe him! I can _not_ believe him!" Onyx stared at Harper. "I'm going down there right now to—"

"No!" Harper jumped up. "Onyx, that wouldn't be a good idea. Not tonight. I _really_ don't think that would be a good idea…"

"Why not? He spied on me, _spied_!"

"Yes, I know. I mean, I didn't know at the time, but I realized once he got back, I mean, his face, the poor guy. He looked so heartbroken…it was tragic, tragic, I tell you!" She sighed. "But really, don't say anything yet. Give him time to heal."

"Heal from what? What on earth are you talking about, Harper?"

"Nothing. Just forget it. Let's go to bed," said Harper, walking over to her four-post bed and crawling in.

"What? No, tell me what you were going to tell me!" Onyx marched over to Harper's bed and stood next to her head.

"I can't, I'm tired. Let's go to sleep, please," Harper pleaded. The guilt was really starting to gnaw at her now and she really hadn't done anything wrong. Not intentionally.

"Fine, but you are telling me tomorrow." Onyx went over to her trunk and got ready for bed. Finally, she crawled in, still fuming that George had been spying on her. "I can't believe that George would do that!" she burst suddenly.

"Well it's a good thing that you didn't go downstairs then," Harper answered groggily. "_Fred's_ the one who stayed up for you."


	8. Chapter 8

Harper didn't tell Onyx what she had been about to say the night before because she felt bad enough as it was. Although Onyx was pestering the entire day, Harper didn't budge. She felt bad about revealing George. And she was certain there was something to reveal.

Being a Sunday, the day held no classes, but there _was _a Quidditch game. It was against Ravenclaw and Cedric was making his housemates angry by rooting for Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw, who would be easier to beat in the finals.

"Cedric, what is your problem? Why aren't you rooting for Cho?" his friend asked. "Didn't you spend all that time snogging her in the closet?"

Cedric stared at his friend. "Who told you that?" he asked, his voice going strangely high-pitched. He had no idea how word could have gotten out about the strangely locked closet. And why did people think it was with Cho? "Is that what Onyx told you?"

"Onyx? The Gryffindor Chaser? What does she have to do with this? How would she know about the closet, anyway? Unless Cho told everybody," his friend added.

Cedric groaned. "So Cho's been telling everybody that we were in the closet?" He looked up to try and see Cho flying around the pitch. He watched her following Harry. That seemed to be her main tactic—trail Harry, and not look for the Snitch herself.

"Why? Is it not true?" his friend asked.

"No, not really. I mean, it wasn't with her," Cedric said, looking away.

"Then who was it with?" his friend pried.

"Oh, nothing. Just forget it. Hey, they got a point!" Cedric cheered, trying to distract his friend.

His friend let it go, but only for the game, which Gryffindor won, of course. Cho really needed a new tactic.

When everyone was walking back to the castle, Cho came out of nowhere and gave Cedric a huge hug.

"Oh, Cedric," she cried, really crying. "I can't believe it! I lost, I thought the game was in the bag!"

"Um…" Cedric didn't really appreciate Cho hanging onto him like this.

"And you aren't going out with me and go into strangely locked closets with strange Gryffindors! The world is turning upside down!" She started to sob into his robe.

It was awkward, especially since Onyx started to walk towards him. Cedric didn't want to be himself right then. Plus Cho was starting to strangle him.

His friend, Sam, looked at Cedric with confusion. "A Gryffindor?" he asked. "Which Gryffindor? Not that know-it-all Granger? Please tell me it wasn't her!"

"Hi," Onyx said, looking at Cho with hidden disdain. "Good game Cho, but, uh, why are you crying? On Cedric?"

Cedric looked very uncomfortable, but that's because he _was_ uncomfortable. "Hi, Onyx. Good game. Do you mind? I'll be just one minute…" Cedric (tried) to walk away but it was rather difficult as Cho was hanging onto him, making incoherent noises. Sam followed him.

"Cho, please get off me! You are pulling my robe off!" Cedric told her, trying to pry her off with his hands.

Cho reluctantly let go and stood there, her face in her hands. "Why, Cedric? Why?" she cried. "What did I do?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" he asked in an exasperated voice.

"Us!" she told him, sounding angry that he didn't remember.

Sam looked confuserated. "Wait, what is going on here? Were you in the closet with Cho or not?"

"No, I wasn't!" Cedric turned to Cho. "Why are you telling people that?"

"Because I'm jealous that you would chose her over me! I mean…her?" Cho sent a vicious look Onyx's way.

"Ouch," Onyx said. "Don't be hatin'."

"I'm really confused," Sam informed Cedric.

"We're all confused," Cedric said.

It got awkward again.

"I'm awkward!" Fred came up and said. Onyx shoved him away.

"Not now, Fred," she told him. He left, acting hurt.

"See?" Cho said. "She's mean. Why would you want to be with a mean girl?"

Sam suddenly smiled. "Oh, it's you!" he said, looking at Onyx. "Wait," he looked at Cedric. "Her? She's the enemy! She on the Gryffindor team!" He paused. "Good job, mate!"

Onyx gave him the what-the-heck look while Cedric rolled his eyes.

"Good-bye, Sam," he said, pushing Sam towards the castle.

"Fine, but you're going to tell me everything later," Sam said over his shoulder.

Cho frowned. "There's nothing to tell. He doesn't like her. He likes me!"

Cedric looked at Cho sympathetically. She was pathetic. "Now Cho," he said. "This is going to hurt you, but it needs to be said: I don't like you."

Cho gasped. Then she gasped again. Finally she turned and ran away.

Cedric turned to Onyx, and saw that she was laughing. "Think this is funny, do you?" he asked.

"Well," she said, smothering another laugh. "It was mildly humorous. She clung to you like Velcro."

"Yeah, well," he said as she laughed again. "She tends to do that."

Cedric put his arm around her waist and laughing, they both made their way to the castle. When Onyx got to the Gryffindor common room, she saw that there was a party going on. Fred and George were dancing to some music and the crowd was clapping along to the tune. The twins both had Butterbeers in their hands and were doing some Irish jig. It was similar to the dance they danced after the World Cup.

When they saw Onyx, they reached into their robes, pulled out a water balloon each and threw it at her. One hit her head, the other her stomach. Everyone laughed as she stood there, dripping wet.

"Ha ha, good one, guys," she said. "You must have a thing for seeing me wet."

They both pretended to blush and swoon.

"Well, wet is the new dry," George informed her.

"Yes, and sweat really doesn't do it for me," Fred added.

"Agreed," George agreed. "You look better when you're wetter."

"I seem to need to tutor you two in manners as well," she told them.

"Oh, testy, are we?"

"Yes, we have another water balloon if you continue to toe the line," Fred informed her. "So you have a choice, be hit with a water balloon or be locked in another closet."

Onyx stared at him. "A closet? Where did you get that idea?" She looked at Harper, who shook her head, then looked away.

"Oh, I don't know," Fred said. "Maybe from a certain Hufflepuff Pretty Boy. He's a friend of yours, isn't he?"

"Um… I have to go change." Onyx ran up the stairs to her dormitory, followed by Harper and Ginny.

"I have no idea how he knew about that," Harper said when they reached the room. "I promise I didn't tell him."

"I know you didn't. _I_ did. And boy, did he get mad. I'd hate to have him for a Dad." Onyx shuddered at the thought.

"What happened, anyway? What's this about a closet?" Ginny asked.

So Onyx told Ginny all about the night before, and then told them both what had just happened after the game.

"Wow, she really made a scene, didn't she?" Harper said. "I always thought she was a sort of drama queen. I have no idea what Harry saw in her."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean, what's her deal? She's really insecure, if you ask me."

Onyx tried to get her friends back on subject but they got so into their discussion on Cho that she gave up. They were still at it when she was done changing. They discussed her as they went back down to the common room, where Fred and George were dancing again.

They finally stopped talking when Harry came up to them. "I'm bored," he informed them.

"Well, where's Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Sleeping. And Hermione's at the library. What do you guys want to do?"

"Bother Snape!" Harper said excitedly.

"No." Harry said flatly. "Except I _do_ like the part when he stops moving."

"See?" Harper thought for a moment. "Well, how about we teach you to knit, Harry?"

"No, thanks. It sounds fun, but I don't quite feel like it."

"Okay, let's go down to the lake and skip rocks?" Ginny suggested.

"How about we just go down to the lake?" Onyx decided. So they did. Fred and George followed them down to the Great Hall but broke off from the group and went to the dungeons. They wouldn't tell the others why.

Onyx found Cedric's wand and the others were shocked that he hadn't needed it all morning. What was really funny is that no sooner had Onyx found it then Cedric came down with Sam, telling him all about the night before. Talk about ironic.

Onyx didn't notice, but Cedric called to her. "Hey, Onyx, what are you guys doing?"

She turned and saw him running towards her. Sam followed, but didn't look happy about it.

"Hi, Ced. Oh, I found your wand." Onyx handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said thankfully. "I really needed it earlier, actually. I forgot it was out here."

"Well, that chore's done, let's go now, shall we?" Sam asked.

"Oh, come on, stay awhile," Harry urged. "That way I'm not the only guy."

"Oh, now it comes out," Harper teased. "You know, there are plenty of guys here who would love to be in your position right now. You should take advantage of it."

Harry gave an awkward laugh.

"So, who's looking forward to the Quidditch Ball?" Ginny asked to break the silence.

Nobody said anything. Cedric did glance at Onyx, however.

"What, nobody's going? Well, this thing is going to be fun." Ginny sat down in the sand, looking disappointed.

"Why?" Harper asked. "Are _you_ going?"

"Well, yeah."

"With who?" Onyx asked curiously.

"Neville."

"Fun. He really is a good dancer, actually. You have to give him credit for that," Harper stated. "Nyx, you'd better get a date before Malfoy asks you."

Cedric looked appalled. "You really think he'd ask you?" he asked.

Onyx shrugged. "Well, he has been stalking me lately."

"Yeah, but, you really think he'd ask you?" Harry asked incredulously. "You'd say no, right?"

"Of course. He is a scumbag and he's evil."

"Not to mention a slave driver," Cedric reminded her.

The group of them spent the rest of the afternoon by the lake. They made a lot of jokes about Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins to pass the time. Soon it was dinnertime and they all trooped back to the Great Hall. Cedric and Sam split off and went to the Hufflepuff table and the others sat with Fred and George, who were whispering excitedly to each other. They quit abruptly when the others sat down.

"What's up, you two?" Onyx asked casually.

"Nothing, quit snooping!" George yelled.

"Yes, go back to your snogging, snogger," Fred told her.

Onyx punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he cried. "I need that arm, thank you very much!" He turned to George. "Is it bleeding?" he asked.

Harper sat down next to George. "You two be nice to her," she reprimanded. "Otherwise she'll take my advice and give you a test today at your little learning session."

The twins gasped in unison. "A test?"

George turned to Onyx, who was sitting across from him. "You wouldn't," he said.

"I would," she said back.

"Well, you can't. We've got to make a Hogsmeade run tonight. We can't have our heads explode. We need them," Fred informed her.

"Fine, I'll come with you then and quiz you on Charms."

"Oh, you mean like a date?" George asked her. "Maybe I should bring the Fat Lady."

"Oh, you should!" Fred clapped his hands in excitement. "This will be just grand!"

Harper laughed at their ridiculousness as they all dug into the food. Tonight the elves decided to make soup. And there was an abundance of cream puffs. Onyx looked across the hall and caught Cedric's eye. They both grinned. Dobby really liked making those cream puffs. Which reminded Onyx…

"Oh, Harry, I forgot. I saw Dobby last night."

Harry looked up with interest. "Really? You were in the kitchens?"

Fred coughed. "Closet," he coughed into his hand.

Onyx ignored him and instead said to Harry, "Yes. They all got upset when Malfoy came in but Dobby was really nice. I've never met him before but he really does speak highly of you."

Harry sighed. "Still?"

Onyx nodded while the others laughed. Ron and Hermione came in and joined them. They were laughing which was rather weird, considering it was those two.

"What's so funny?" Harper asked them as they sat down next to Harry.

"Nothing," Ron said. "Just something we saw."

"And?" Harper pressed.

"It was nothing. It's stupid, really," Ron told them, helping himself to eight cream puffs.

"Well, stupid things are often the funniest," Ginny commented.

"Fine," he said. "Filch tripped in the corridor. On Mrs. Norris' tail."

They all looked at him. "That's it?" George asked. "We trip over her all the time."

"Yeah, but you should have seen his reaction. He acted like he had killed her." Ron then did a hilarious imitation of Filch reacting to killing Mrs. Norris that had the group in stitches.

"So, we're going to Hogsmeade tonight?" Harper double-checked.

"We?" George asked. "What we? It is only Onyx and us. No you at all."

"Yeah, no you, loser," Fred added.

"Oh, come on. I'll be bored otherwise," Harper pleaded.

"Sorry, no losers allowed. Rules are rules," George said unsympathetically. He shot her a quick grin, however, to show that he was just kidding; he didn't really think that she was a loser.

"Really, Harps, I have a date with my star pupils. No fun tonight, I guarantee it," Onyx said seriously.

Fred stared at her. "No fun? What kind of slave driver are you?"

"Ah ha, I've rubbed off on you," Malfoy said, passing by. "See you, love."

Onyx made a face at his back.

"But, but, but…really, no fun?" George stammered, ignoring Malfoy.

Onyx shook her head. "Nope, I'm going to test you guys."

So it was with bitter resignation that the twins followed Onyx to Hogsmeade after dinner. They went to the Three Broomsticks and Onyx started to test them on their knowledge of Potions when the karaoke started. Uh oh.

The twins looked up in excitement. "Is it truly possible? We have been saved!" they said.

"Onyx, what song do you want to sing?" Fred asked excitedly.

"What? No, I am not singing," she said, shaking her head furiously.

"Fine then. Do you have any requests?" George asked.

Onyx considered. "Well, there is this Muggle band that I like…"

The twins made faces. "Muggle band? Please," Fred rolled his eyes. "What about the Hippogriff song?"

"What about no. How about N'SYNC?"

"What is that?" George asked.

"A Muggle band. 'I Want You Back' is my favorite."

The twins jumped up and ran to the bartender and before Onyx knew what was happening, she was on the stage, sitting in a chair and the twins were crooning her with "I Want You Back". Fred even had an impressive dance routine to go with it.

Onyx was mortified and what made it worse was that the rest of the group piled in and stared in shock and awe at the performance. Harper grinned at Onyx. Hermione looked like she didn't know what to think, Ginny laughed hysterically, and Harry and Ron started to dance along with the music. After gaping for a full minute, that is.

Fred seemed to really be enjoying himself with all of the dancing. He got a ton of clapping and yells from the rest of the crowd and their show had a standing ovation at the end.

The twins pulled Onyx off the stage and they all sat down at a table as the next singer started the Hippogriff song. It was horrible.

"Wow, that was great, you guys!" Harper cried. "I had no idea you could dance like that, Fred."

Fred shrugged indifferently. "I tend to shock people like that."

"Yes, well, that was quite a shock," Ron said. "What brought that out?"

"It got us out of testing," George stated simply.

Onyx hadn't said anything since she first got onto the stage. She seemed to be in shock.

"Onyx?" Harper poked her. "Onyx, wake up."

Onyx jumped. "Oh, sorry. Hey, you think they have 'Can't Fight The Moonlight'?"

So then the others watched Onyx sing 'Can't Fight The Moonlight', which was another Muggle song and completely new to all of the others except for Harper. It seemed to affect Fred in an odd way, which Harper didn't fail to notice.

Onyx also got a standing ovation and after that the songs got so bad that the group left the restaurant. They walked through the city, all talking about the great performances that the twins and Onyx put on. Onyx didn't like the attention but the twins loved it. They started talking about how they were going to get recording contracts and become famous for singing awful Muggle songs and making them sound great. When it got dark the group headed back to the castle and up to the common room. They stayed up late talking and laughing. Onyx finally got to test the twins a bit, with the help of the others. It got rather chaotic but the twins did well.

"I guess all the tutoring finally paid off," Onyx said happily.

"Yes, thank you, Professor. I'm glad it's all over with," Fred told her.

"Um, it's not. We still have the rest of the semester," Onyx reminded him.

"What? And here I thought that we were free!" Fred lamented. He pretended to faint and fell into her lap.

Harper raised her eyebrows, which caused Onyx to shove Fred away. "Get off me."

Fred just fell to the floor, still 'unconscious'. George flew to his brother's side. "Fred, are you okay? Speak to me, brother. Speak!"

Fred weakly opened his eyes and tried to speak, but failed. He pretended to faint again.

"No! Fred, Fred, oh my brother!" George held Fred's head close and pretended to cry.

The others knew that he was really laughing which made the others laugh, also. This made George glare at them.

"Do not mock me at this hour of need! Can you not see that my heart is broken? I have lost the love of my life!"

"I had no idea that you were so close," Harper said in a somber voice. Fred shot her a quick look before fainting again.

"Yes, this is a very hard time for me. So be quiet while I grieve!" George snapped.

Onyx went to his side and took his face in her hands. So she was holding George, who was holding Fred. Wow, this must be their lucky day!

"Don't worry, Georgie, we'll get through this," she assured him mockingly.

Their faces were quite close to each other and all of a sudden, Onyx was being kissed by George! **OH NO!**


	9. Chapter 9

Onyx hauled off and smacked him, leaving a bright red handprint on his cheek. Harper and the others all stared in shock, not sure if they had really seen what they had just seen.

"What are you thinking, you know I'm with Cedric!" Onyx fumed, jumping to her feet.

"You shouldn't have led me on like that!" George cried back, also getting up. Fred hit his head on the floor.

"I was trying to be supportive! You're the one who always says I should lighten up and play along!" Onyx shrieked.

"Yeah, well…" George faltered. For once, he had nothing to say.

"Wells are for wishing!" she snapped as she abruptly turned on her heels and retreated to her dormitory.

"Wells are for wishing, what a lame comeback," Fred laughed from his prostrate position on the floor, trying to break the tension.

"Shut up, Fred," George told him sharply, watching Onyx's angry, retreating back.

"George, why on earth did you kiss her?!" Harper cried, also looking at Onyx's retreating back worriedly. That tingling sensation was back in her stomach and she had no idea why. It wasn't she who should be feeling guilty.

"Well..." George started. The truth was, he didn't know.

"Wells are for wishing," Fred reminded him.

"SHUT UP!" George kicked Fred.

"Ow, I need that kneecap. Is it bleeding?" Fred asked nobody in particular.

"No, it's fine, Fred," Ron told him absently. "But really, George, why did you—?"

"No comment. I have to go." George walked out the portrait and they didn't see him for the rest of the night. Well, Harper did. That's because she was up when he came back. But more on that later.

"Um, that was awkward," Ron said.

"I'm awkward!" Fred announced right on cue.

"Shut up!" Ginny told him. "Harper, we should go up to see if she's okay."

But Harper shook her head. "No, not yet. Give her some time on her own."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon left, going off to do their own thing, leaving Fred, Ginny and Harper.

"Can we go up, now?" Ginny asked impatiently, tired of waiting.

"Fine," Harper consented. "Let's go."

"Oh, fun, fun, fun," Fred said, following them.

"No. No Freds allowed," Harper told him.

"But, but," he sputtered, looking hurt. "Why not?"

"She'll hurt you. You've already done enough damage, Fred," Ginny told him. So they left him at the foot of the stairs as they went off to comfort Onyx. They found her sitting by a window in their dormitory.

"Why would he do that?" she asked them quietly, seeing their reflection in the window.

Ginny shook her head. "He's always been impulsive. But that was out of line."

Harper nodded in agreement. "The important thing is that you didn't kiss him back. So you have that going for you," she said optimistically.

"Thanks, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I should probably go tell Cedric…" Onyx sighed, getting up and heading for the door.

"Wait! Is that really such a good idea? Okay, it is, but maybe you shouldn't just yet. No, then he'll think you're hiding it from him and that'd be a mess. Fine, go," Harper decided, pointing to the door.

And so Onyx did, before Harper could change her mind again. As she entered the common room, she was greeted by Fred, who seemed bent on redeeming himself from George's mistake.

"Hi! I suppose you're going to tell Cedric about this. Tell him that I am in no way to be held responsible and that I disown George as a twin and brother and partner in crime. Wait, George? Who's this George you speak of?" Fred babbled.

Onyx laughed and this made Fred relax. "No, really, I am sorry for starting all of this," he told her seriously. "I had no idea that he would go off and do that. Lucky git… I mean, bad George!"

Laughing, Onyx made her way to the portrait. "Thanks, Fred. I know you didn't mean for that to happen."

"Or did I?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Did you?" she asked, suddenly stern.

"Of course not. Or did I?" he teased again.

"Whatever, I'm leaving. Bye, Fred."

"Buh-bye. Hey, if you see George, kick him in the kneecaps for me!" he called as she stepped through the portrait.

She made her way down all of the stairwells and then wondered where she would find Cedric. Not at the Quidditch pitch, she could see from a window that nobody was flying around down there. She peeked into the Great Hall and saw nobody but Crabbe and Goyle. She decided to try the Hufflepuff common room. She just didn't know where it was. She went down a hall that she had seen Cedric go down before and was met by a dead end. But, there was a portrait. Ah ha. Except she didn't know the password. She decided to just reach up and knock. She briefly wondered if this had ever happened in Hogwarts' history when the portrait swung open. It was Sam, Cedric's friend. He looked surprised to see Onyx.

"Hey, Ced, it's your girl," he called to Cedric. Cedric appeared at his side almost immediately.

"Onyx, what are you doing here?" he asked, sounding pleasantly surprised.

"Well, I have to tell you something. Can we go for a walk?" she asked, trying to control her voice. It kept threatening to go all squeaky on her.

"And a talk?"

"Of course."

Sam smirked to Cedric. "She's ending it, mate."

"No I'm not," she said defensively. "Don't be ridiculous."

Cedric looked slightly relieved. "Okay, let's go," he said, stepping out of the portrait. "We may have to kill you though, since you know where our common room is," he joked.

"I promise I won't tell anyone" she smiled.

He grinned. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked as they started off.

"Well, something happened earlier. And it wasn't my fault, I promise, and he said that I led him on, but I didn't, really. And…"

"What are you talking about? Just tell me, I promise I won't get mad," he told her, looking concerned.

She hesitated. "Uh, well, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think it's the best idea."

"What is it?" He really looked concerned now.

"It's George. Weasley," she clarified. "He…he…"

"He what? Onyx, you know you can tell me anything," he told her reassuringly.

"He kissed me."

Cedric stopped walking and looked at her. "That's it?"

She stared at him. "That's it? What do you mean? He kissed me! That's bad!"

"Well, did you enjoy it?" he inquired.

"No!"

"Did you kiss him back?"

"NO!"

"Then there's no problem. It wasn't your fault, you hated it, and didn't kiss him back." He smiled at her. "Did you really think I'd get mad?"

"Well, yeah." She seemed confused. "You really aren't?"

"Nope. I forgive you completely for a sin you didn't even commit."

"Oh."

"Although…" he started.

"What?"

"I say you owe me something." He grinned.

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" she inquired sweetly.

"I have a few ideas…" he said airily, walking towards a classroom nearby.

"Cedric, come on. Just tell me," she said, running after him. She entered the room and found nobody there. Suddenly the door shut and she heard it lock.

_Uh oh_, she thought to herself. "Cedric?"

Suddenly her eyes were covered with a pair of hands. "Guess who?" she heard Cedric ask.

"Cedric, what do you want?" she asked, getting impatient.

"This," he responded as he kissed her neck.

"Ced," she started. "Really, is this my 'debt'? Being alone in a dark room? I can't even see you!"

"Well, I'll fix that, then." He took his hands away and all of a sudden the room was lit with twinkling lights. Ooh, romantic.

"How did you do that?" she asked in awe.

"Magic, of course," he said coyly. "Now, as for your debt, you are going to the Quidditch Ball with me."

"Oh am I? I wasn't aware of that," she told him.

"It's either that or the kissing," he offered.

"Hmm, tough decision, but I think I'll take the dance."

"Oh well, too bad, you get both." He started to kiss her again when the door opened. Malfoy stood there, looking smug. Yet disgusted.

"Stealing my date, are you?" he challenged Cedric. "You'll pay for that one, Pretty Boy." He pointed his wand at Cedric.

"Malfoy, get out of here!" Onyx told him angrily.

"No, I'm saving you, love."

"See? I told you he calls me that," she said to Cedric. She turned to Malfoy. "I don't need saving. Now go."

"No," he said, entering the room. "I like the lights," he commented. "Nice handy work. Now, fork her over."

"Not on your life, Malfoy. She already said that she's going with me. Plus, she's my girlfriend. It would be weird if she went with anybody else," Cedric pointed out.

"I am?" she asked. "I didn't know that."

"See? Even she didn't know, I think you're just making stuff up. Now fork her over," Malfoy demanded.

"I'm not a _thing_, Malfoy," she snapped, aggravated.

"Of course not, love. Now come on."

"No! I'm not going with you, Malfoy! I'm staying with Cedric."

"Well, then, I'll just have to get rid of him, then, won't I?"

Onyx quickly stepped in front of Cedric, knowing that Malfoy wouldn't hurt her. "Malfoy…" she warned.

"Get out of the way, love," he told her. "I'm just going to curse him real quick, it won't hurt but a minute."

"Don't call me that!" she said through gritted teeth.

Malfoy raised his wand…and they heard someone yell "_Stupefy!_" Malfoy fell forward on his face. Behind him stood Fred, wand still raised.

"Git," he muttered, stepping over Malfoy's body.

"Thanks, Fred," Cedric said appreciatively.

"Yeah, thanks. What are you doing down here?" Onyx asked.

"I got hungry and I saw Malfoy come down here, so I decided to follow him and trip him or something. But this was more fun." He looked down at Malfoy. "I hope he broke his greasy nose."

"He probably did," Cedric concurred.

"Say, what were you two doing in here, anyway?" Fred asked, looking around at the lights. "Couldn't find a nice enough closet?"

"I was just, uh, asking Onyx to the dance," Cedric said, sounding rather uncomfortable.

Fred looked up, and for a fleeting second Onyx thought she saw disappointment on his face. "Really? So, is a congratulation in order or what?"

"What do you mean?" Onyx asked.

"Did you say yes?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yeah."

"Neat. I really ought to get one sometime," Fred said to himself.

"Get what?" Cedric asked.

"A date, Pretty Boy. You've got one, and just about everybody else has, I'm quite a bit behind."

"Right. Well, that's it. I think we're finished here, aren't we, Cedric? See you later, Fred." Onyx pulled Cedric towards the door.

"Thanks again for knocking Malfoy out!" Cedric called as Onyx dragged him away.

"What's the matter, Onyx?" Cedric asked when they reached the Great Hall.

"Nothing. I'm just fine. Peachy," she replied. "Okay, well, Malfoy really got to me. What if he had really cursed you?"

"Is that all?" He gave her a hug. "You worry too much."

"I know," she admitted. "I'm excited for the dance, though. Except I don't have a dress."

"You don't have to wear one if you don't want to," he told her playfully.

She hit him on the arm, laughing. "No, I think I'll get a dress."

"Oh, fine," he sighed, sounding disappointed.

"Cedric Diggory!"

"Sorry."

They walked back to the Hufflepuff common room together. The curfew was approaching soon (again) so Onyx had to hurry up back to the Gryffindor tower.

"Night, Cedric," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"And the next day, and the next day, and the next day." He grinned, kissing her on the cheek. "Good-night, Onyx."

She hurried back up to the tower in a hurry. She got stopped once, by Snape, who asked where she was off to in such a hurry.

"To bed."

"So you're not sneaking off with that Pretty Boy?" Snape asked accusingly.

"No, Professor." Onyx was surprised and insulted that even a Professor used that nickname for Cedric.

He went off, but not before taking five house points from her.

She continued on her way, angry with Snape. When she entered the common room, she saw that Harper was (surprise surprise) knitting by the fireplace. Fred was asleep with a book in his hand.

"He was _reading_?" she gasped in shock.

"Yes, it was a book you gave him," Harper informed her.

"Really. Which book?" Onyx asked interestedly. She was in a far better mood now than when she had left the Common room earlier.

"Some Transfiguration one. He said he wants to be better at it than George."

"When did he get back up here?" Onyx wanted to know.

"About ten minutes ago," Harper estimated.

"How do they do it? How do they get around so fast?" Onyx mused.

"Secret passages," Fred muttered. "Now hush up, I'm sleeping."

"Really? I thought that you were reading," Onyx teased.

"I tried; it put me to sleep." He told her groggily, his eyes still shut.

Harper laughed. "So, have anything to tell me, Onyx?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Yes she does, she lies," Fred muttered.

"I know she does. Did Cedric really ask you to the dance?" Harper asked excitedly.

"Yes, he did!"

Harper gave a scream, which thoroughly annoyed Fred.

He opened his eyes. "Do you mind?" he asked. "Some people need their beauty sleep."

"You need beauty sleep?" Harper asked him with a laugh.

"No, I just said that _some_ people do. Not me. I actually meant Onyx."

"Thank you, Fred. And with that, I go to bed. Night." Onyx ran up the stairs, still exhilarated from Cedric asking her to the dance.

Fred followed suit and left Harper down by the fire alone. She was sitting there for twenty minutes when George came back.

"So, where'd you hide off to?" she asked him, trying not to allow any coldness creep into her voice quite yet.

"Everywhere. Nowhere. None of your business," he replied.

"Fine, be that way." She continued knitting.

"That's it? You let me off just like that?" George seemed stunned.

"Um, yeah. Why? Do you want a scene like earlier? Because I don't really do that. Actually, I haven't ever needed to. Boy, my life is boring." Harper stared into space, having never considered how boring her life truly was before.

"Yes, it is," he concurred. "I say we do something about that."

"Like what?" she asked warily. He didn't mean what she thought he meant, did he? "Because I'm kind of busy at the moment. And I assume that Onyx and I are going shopping tomorrow." Harper sighed. Shopping wasn't one of her favorite past times. Ginny said this made her rather ungirly. George had been right; she _was _weird.

"Why?" George asked.

"Cedric asked her to the Qudditch Ball," she replied, sounding bored.

He gawked at her. "She did?! Did she say yes?"

"Of course." She looked at him. "Please don't say that you're jealous. I can't take any more jilted lovers of hers."

"There are more?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Don't you need to get to sleep?" she asked innocently.

"Fine, ignore the question."

"I already did."

He frowned at her. "You're mean. Did you know that?"

"No, I am not. I resent that," she said indignantly. "And didn't you say that the other night?"

"Ha ha," he laughed at her. "So you _do_ have buttons to push."

"Obviously," she said dryly. She then looked at him. "Why did you kiss her?" she suddenly burst out.

"I was hoping that you had forgotten about that," he said sullenly, bright mood forgotten.

"Forgotten about it? Dude, you _kissed_ her!"

"Why, Harper, are you jealous?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"No, I am not. But I _am_ angry. George, you know she's seeing Cedric…"

"Really? Are they upstairs right at this moment?" He looked up at the ceiling, as if hoping he could see right through it.

"George!" she yelled. He looked at her. "Quit being so dirty! You know she would never do that."

"But Pretty Boy might," he pointed out.

She gave a huge sigh of disgust. "You are impossible."

"No, I'm-"

"Outpossible, I know." She gave him an annoyed look. "So stop it. Please?"

"I…I…you want me to quit being myself? Quite the request, but for you I'll try it…"

She gave him an odd look. "I mean, forget it."

"What are you talking about, Harper?" George asked. "I told you to forget it, young lady!" he said. "Now go to bed!"

"Nah, I'm going to stay down here for a bit. Otherwise Onyx will want to talk about what kind of dress she should get." Harper made a face. "I'm glad I'm not going."

"You aren't going to the dance? I thought that you were." George looked genuinely surprised.

"Why would I go? Nobody's asked me."

"What? The nerve!"

"Come on, who'd ask _me_?" She dropped her knitting and watching him, waiting for an answer.

He seemed to consider something. If Onyx was going with Cedric… "Well. I say that is just plum ridiculous."

"What is?" she asked. It wasn't the answer she had been expecting.

"The fact that you aren't going to the dance. I think that you should."

"Why?" she asked in absolute shock. "This way I don't have to worry about a dress, make up, how I look or anything. Who are you going with, anyway?" she asked him curiously.

George shrugged. "Nobody. Why, getting desperate?" he teased, eyeing her.

She made a face at him. "No, I am not. I don't want to go. Did I not just explain this to you?"

"I'm a slow learner," he told her.

"I don't think so. I think you guys are just putting on an act. You're smarter than you look." She picked up her knitting and started again.

"I don't look smart?" he asked, shocked. "And here I thought that I had the look down." George looked disappointed.

Harper rolled her eyes. "You look like a shaggy bum," she informed him with a small smile. "It fits your personality perfectly."

"Does it now? Hmm, that's very interesting…" George muttered. "So, tell me, what would it take to get you to the dance?"

She looked up from her knitting again. "What would it take? Nothing, I'm not going. What is so hard to understand about that?"

"Nothing, but I think that you aren't going because nobody's asked you yet. But if someone were to ask you, would you go?"

Harper thought about this. "It depends," she finally decided.

"On?" he pressed.

"The guy. If someone were to ask me, not that anyone would, I may go, depending on who the guy is. If it were Malfoy, I would be so traumatized that I would hang out with Moaning Myrtle all night."

George laughed. And laughed and laughed.

"It's not that funny," Harper told him, wondering if he'd end up as hysterical as he had at the lake.

"Yes," he told her. "It is. Can you imagine Malfoy asking you to the dance? Surely even he has better taste than that!" He got up and headed for the dormitories. "Just kidding. I don't think he even knows you exist." He ducked as she threw a knitting needle at him. He picked it off the floor. "Thanks," he said, holding it up. He turned around and left the common room.

"George! Give me my needle back!" she called up to him. There was no response. She got up and ran after him. She caught him just before he entered his dormitory.

"What are you thinking, following me into my dormitory?" he asked her, sounding highly affronted. "People might think that something is going on between us."

"George, give me my needle back, please," she asked him nicely, because she was Harper after all. Always polite and considerate. She chose to ignore the 'us' comment.

"But, you gave it to me, didn't you?" he asked.

"No, I threw it at you," she corrected.

"Same difference," he shrugged. "Anyway, you didn't say the magic word."

"Yes I did. I said 'please', didn't I?"

"True," he said slowly. "But that's not the magic word."

Harper sighed. "George, we're wizards. Do you have any idea how many magic words we use?"

"I thought that you were a witch." George looked confused. "Am I missing something? You are a girl, aren't you?"

"George!" she hissed, trying not to wake everyone up. "Just please give me my needle back!"

"Magic word," he sang out. "You have to say the magic word."

"Fine, I'll say the magic word. _Accio knitting needle!_"

The needle flew out of George's hand and into Harper's. She smirked at George and then turned to leave.

"You cheated!" he said, looking upset. It wasn't often that he was bested.

"I did not. I used a magic word, didn't I?" She gave him a quick smile and then continued down to the common room, leaving George both impressed and annoyed.

Harper went down to get the rest of her knitting and grabbed Fred's book, which he had left. Then she went upstairs to her own dormitory. Onyx was still awake when Harper got in.

"What was all that yelling?" Onyx asked curiously.

"Oh, that was George and I. And we weren't yelling." Harper said, setting all of her stuff down on her trunk and getting ready for bed.

"Well, what were you doing then?"

"He took my knitting needle and wouldn't give it back. Well, okay, I threw it at him, but either way, he wouldn't give it back. He kept telling me to say the magic word, so I just cast Accio." Harper said, crawling into bed.

"I bet he took that well," Onyx sniggered.

"Of course he did."

"Anyway, I was thinking. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow and shop for dresses?" Onyx asked.

_Told you_, Harper told George mentally. "Do we have to, Onyx?" she asked.

"What? Of course! I need a dress, don't I?" Onyx suddenly laughed as she remembered what Cedric had said about her wearing a dress.

"Well, sure, but…do I have to go?"

"Of course! You know that you're the best there is when it comes to colors and stuff!"

Harper had to admit that this was true, but it still didn't make her want to go shopping for dresses when she wasn't even going to the dance. Not that she wanted to go.

"Please? Please come with me!" Onyx begged.

"Don't beg, you know I hate it when you do that. It makes me feel guilty," Harper told her.

"Please come shopping with me!" Onyx begged again. "I'll go to whatever shop you want, I promise. Just please come with me."

Harper sighed. Well, maybe it _would_ be fun…"Fine, I'll come. You're going to treat me to a butterbeer, though," she added.

"Deal." Onyx agreed. "I'm so excited!" Onyx started thinking about the kind of dress that she wanted. "Do you think that I should get a black one or silver or something like that?" she asked Harper.

"Let's just wait and see what kinds they have, shall we?" Harper suggested tiredly.

"Good idea," Onyx said brightly. "Night!"

"Night."


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Sunday, Onyx woke Harper up bright and early, which was very unusual, as Harper was the early riser of the two.

"Harper, get up! We need to get there as soon as possible so all the good dresses don't get sold," Onyx said, shaking Harper's shoulder. Harper opened her eyes to see that Onyx was already dressed.

"What are you talking about?" Harper moaned, getting out of bed. "The thing is months away! Why would anyone in their right mind get a dress _now_?"

"So all the good ones don't get sold!" Onyx cried out.

"Whatever." Harper still didn't see why they were going dress-shopping so soon. What if Onyx changed her mind in February? Then she'd be stuck. She told this to Onyx, who just told her to hurry up and get dressed.

In no time Harper was dressed and ready to go. They left the castle amongst a throng of other students, who were mostly girls.

"Okay, here's the plan," Onyx informed Harper. "We go to the stores at the end of the street first while everyone goes to the ones in the front."

"Good idea. Let's hurry, shall we?" Harper suggested as she started to run. They made it to the small village in record time and hurried off to the smaller stores, discussing the type of dress that Onyx wanted. Harper found herself getting excited about the prospect of finding the perfect dress— for Onyx, of course. Because Harper wasn't going to the dance.

"Oh, I like this one."

"This one is really nice."

"Look at _this_ one!"

"Wow, that one is gorgeous."

"Can you believe how much that one is? I would _never _pay that." Harper scoffed. She gave a sigh. "Onyx, it's been an hour and you haven't found one yet."

"So? It's only been an hour. Ooh, did you see that one?"

And so it went all day. They went up the street and back down the other side. It was at the last store that they finally found something. Harper was exhausted, not to mention bored out of her mind, by the time Onyx came out of the dressing room for the last time.  
"Wow. Onyx, I really, really like that one!" she said, really meaning it this time as she watched her friend admire herself in the mirror. It was a floor length, low backed strapless dark grey dress that hugged in all the right places and what set it apart from all of the others was the fact that it…well, it was just better.

"I really like it, too," Onyx said. "Modest, the right color, just long enough…I think I found it."

"Yay. It took all day, but we finally succeeded. I'm proud. Let's take a moment to savor this moment, shall we?" Harper said, standing up and stretching. She froze as she saw something in the corner of her eye. It was another dress, but it was the perfect dress. For Harper, that is.

She went over to examine it. It was orange (awesome), not strapless (yes!), and long (yay). She hurried to try it on.

"What are you doing, Harper?" Onyx asked. "I thought you wanted to leave. And you aren't going to the dance, remember?"

"I'm not," Harper said from inside the dressing room. "But I might go to the one next year. You never know. Oops. I think I just ripped it. Oh, wait. Nevermind, false alarm." She came out of the dressing room.

Onyx's jaw dropped. "Wow, Harps, it looks really good on you."

Harper inspected the dress in the mirror. "I don't know. I really don't need it."

"Oh yes you do. You are going whether you like it or not, even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming."

"No, I am not. Although this dress _is_ really nice…" Harper admitted.

"You _can_ just go by yourself, you don't _need_ a date."

"But, Ron always says…"

"I know, for a girl to go to a dance alone, it's just sad. But don't listen to him. He's a bum," Onyx said.

Harper laughed at this. "Well, okay, fine. I'll get it. But for next year. I'm not going to the dance."

"Yes you are!"

"Am not," Harper sang, going back into the dressing room to change back into her regular clothes.

The girls paid for their purchases and left the store. They headed into the Three Broomsticks, as Onyx owed Harper a butterbeer.

But they ran into Malfoy. "So," he said. "Is that the smexy little black dress you said you'd get for when we go to the dance together?" he asked trying to sneak a peek at Onyx's dress through the bag.

"Yes, it is! Would you like to see it, Malfoy?" Harper asked brightly. "I picked it out especially for you."

"Who _are_ you?" Malfoy asked, sounding and looking confused.

"If you don't know who she is, then you just gave up all rights to speak to me," Onyx told him coldly.

"But, love! I know who she is! She's…your friend. Your best friend. Right?"

"Wrong. Later, Malfoy," Harper said, turning her back to him.

"Then you're enemies!" Malfoy decided.

"No, we're best friends! You are such a git. And I am not going to the dance with you. I'm going with Cedric," Onyx informed him.

"That's what you think. You may go to the dance with Pretty Boy, but you're leaving with me."

"Ew. You are a gross one, Malfoy," Harper told him.

"And you are…stupid," Malfoy lamely shot back.

"And you are a manky git," Onyx said.

"Wow, George was right, you don't know I even exist," Harper marveled.

"Consider yourself fortunate," Onyx muttered.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at them. "I get the feeling that you don't like me," he said.

"Just now?" Onyx asked him. "Took you that long?"

"Okay, well, we really must be going. See you, skuzz ball," Harper said, getting up out of her seat and pulling Onyx out of the restaurant with her. "Glad that's over. You sure do attract the right kind of guys, don't you?"

"Shut up," Onyx told her.

"I'm just saying, at least they're all good looking. Sort of. If only Draco were a sweet, thoughtful person…"

"Don't even go there. I might throw up," Onyx gagged.

"Maybe he'll turn back from the dark side," Harper shrugged.

"Don't get your hopes up. Hey, Zonko's!" Onyx ran excitedly into the joke shop and Harper had no choice but to follow her.

It was almost a madhouse inside, what with all of the aspiring jokester's trying to stock up on pranks and tricks. Harper lost Onyx for a minute in the sea of amateurs.

"Oh come on," she muttered to herself.

"Come on what? And is that a dress?" a voice inquired from behind her.

She turned to see George Weasley grinning at her. "Maybe. It's for next year," she explained quickly lest word spread around that she was going to the dance after all.

"I don't believe that for a minute. I know it's your subconscious desire to go to this dance," he teased.

"No, it's not. Anyway, how would you know?"

"Please, I'm a Weasley, we Weasleys know everything. Plus, it's achingly obvious. What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"I followed Onyx in here, and then lost her."

"Lost her? You mean that my Professor is lost inside this sea of madness?" George cried in sudden panic. "We must find her at once!" He grabbed Harper's hand and started running throughout the store, searching for Onyx in desperation. They finally found her, with Fred. The two of them raised their eyebrows when they saw that George was holding Harper's hand.

Which made George quickly drop it. "So, I see that you found our Professor," he said curtly.

"Yes, I feared for her life," Harper said, rolling her eyes. But inside she was wondering what had just happened. Had George really grabbed her hand like that? What was _that_ about?

"I wasn't lost. I came here right away. _You_ were the one who was lost, Harper," Onyx said.

"Me? How so? You left and got lost. Then I had to find you with George," Harper said, indicating towards the twin, who was still standing next to her.

"I came right here! Where else would I be? The fireworks."

Harper noticed that there were quite a few of them in Onyx's hand. "What are they for?" she asked suspiciously.

"Malfoy," Onyx grinned. "It was Fred's idea, actually."

"What can I say? I'm a genius," Fred said modestly.

They made their purchases and then headed back to the castle. On the way, the twins kept teasing Harper about buying a dress.

"I knew she would cave," Fred said.

"It was only a matter of time. You know what this means, don't you Fred?" George asked.

"Yes, she is going to the dance, and is going to make a fool of herself for going alone," Fred stated simply.

"I'm not going!" Harper insisted.

"Yes you are," George told her.

She looked at him. "What makes you so sure?"

"Just a feeling," he said airily.

"So, is it true that you're going with Malfoy?" Fred asked Onyx.

"No! Who told you that?" Onyx asked, horrified at the idea.

"Malfoy," Fred and George said in unison.

"Well, it's poppycock. I'm not going with him. I'm going with—"

"Cedric," the twins finished for her in unison.

"Yes. Wait, George, how did you find out?" Onyx asked, caught off guard.

"Everyone knows, Onyx," he told her.

"The whole school," Fred said.

"The Professors, the students,"

"The ghosts, and even the portraits," Fred added.

"Everyone thinks you make a lovely couple," George said.

"Except for Cho, and all the guys who want you."

"Like who?" Onyx asked, shocked that there were other boys at Hogwarts who liked her.

"Dean, Seamus, Roger, Lee, you, me, her, him, Malfoy, Blaise, Flint, now you two would make a cute couple," George informed her.

"And quite a bit more. The list goes on and on," Fred told her.

"And on and on,"

"And on and on…"

"Okay, I get it," Onyx told them, laughing. "I had no idea."

"Guys have a thing for hot Quidditch players." George stated simply.

"Hot Quidditch players?" Harper repeated. "How shallow."

"It's not shallow!" George said defensively. "It is very important!"

"How so?" she asked.

"It just is. Don't bother to get how a man's mind works. It's too complicated for you," George said, grinning at her.

"Oh yes, way more complicated than the complex infrastructure known as the female mind," Harper said seriously.

"So we _do_ learn, after all," Fred said, sounding surprised. "I'm impressed."

They finally made it to Hogwarts and the twins ran off to meet with Lee Jordan, leaving the girls alone.

But they weren't alone for long, since Oliver came up to them, looking upset.

"Where _have_ you been?!" he shouted at Onyx. "I've been trying to find you for hours, we're having an emergency Quidditch practice right now!"

"What? Why? Oliver, relax, the game is on Wednesday, we have time."

"Time? That's what we _don't_ have. We only have until Wednesday! I heard Flint talking to Malfoy about their plan and we need a plan!"

"So, you were eavesdropping. Isn't that stooping to their level, Ollie?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping, I was listening," he defended himself. "Either way, we're going to the pitch, hurry up and change," he ordered, and then turned to try and find the twins.

"Well, I guess the rest of your day is shot. Have fun!" Harper told her friend.

"Where are you going?" Onyx asked.

"No idea," Harper announced. She looked at Onyx, who was pretending to pout. "Well, fine, I'll go to the common room with you."

So they quickly made their way to the common room and found Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team already ready. Except for the twins, who were lounging around on the couch.

Onyx ran up to her dormitory, gently hung her dress up and then changed into her Quidditch robes and grabbed her broomstick. She hurried back downstairs to see that Fred and George were still on the couch. Harry was trying to get them up.

"Come on, guys, Wood'll kill you if you aren't ready."

"I don't care. He needs to lighten up a bit, anyway," Fred said, acting as though he was about to go to sleep.

Just then, Wood came into the common room. He stopped when he saw the twins on the couch. "What do you think you're doing?" he cried.

"Resting," George stated simply.

"Get up!" Wood instructed. "Get up, you bums, we have to get to the pitch before Slytherin does!"

"Fine, Mommy, we'll go get ready. Relax. You're like an old man," Fred said, getting up and heading up the stairs.

George followed suit. "I don't even know where my robes are."

"Fine. Onyx, you wait for them. The rest of you come with me," Wood said, heading for the portrait. The rest of the team followed him out while Harper and Onyx sat on the couches, waiting for the twins.

"Why do _I_ have to wait for them?" Onyx complained.

Harper shrugged. "At least things aren't awkward from the kiss," she said brightly.

Onyx shot her a dirty look. "I was trying to forget that."

"Sorry." Harper looked around the room. "But really, I thought things would be all weird today."

"Can we please not talk about this?"

"Fine, fine," Harper sighed. "Are you saving a dance for Fred?" she asked suddenly.

"No, why?" Onyx asked, confused.

"Nothing, nevermind. I wish they wouldn't make such a big deal over my dress. I'm not even going."

"Please come!" Onyx begged.

"No, I'm not going! What's it to you, anyway, you're going to be with Cedric," Harper reminded Onyx.

"Well, true," Onyx admitted. "But I'll feel bad that you're missing out."

"Don't, I'll be fine." Harper assured her. "Maybe I'll hang out with Malfoy," she laughed.

"If that's what it comes to, I am dragging you down there to save you from such a terrible fate."

The twins came down the stairs. "Where did everybody go? Did old Wood have a change of heart?" Fred asked.

"No, he left for the pitch. And now we have to go," Onyx said, getting up and heading for the portrait.

"Why, Onyx, did you offer to stay behind and escort us to the pitch?" George asked, looking surprised.

"I am flattered," Fred told her.

"No, Wood volunteered me," she told them. "Now let's go."

The twins followed her all the way down to the pitch, talking about how flattered they were the entire trip. Harper stayed behind in the common room to finish up some homework.

When Onyx and the twins got to the pitch, they were met by a very upset Wood. "What took you so long?" he cried.

"Them," Onyx said, pointing at the twins.

"That's not fair. You were the one who was all upset about how you had no makeup on!" Fred told her.

"I did no such thing!" Onyx cried.

"Onyx doesn't bother with that stuff," Wood said, looking confused. He gave his head a quick shake. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Get on your brooms and warm up," he instructed.

They obliged and the twins continued to follow Onyx around and kept shooting the Bludgers her way.

"Would you stop it?" she asked exasperatedly after one nearly took off her head.

"Why? It's so much fun. Plus, it's not like you're too slow to get out of the way. We're helping you warm up," Fred said, flying close to her.

"Thanks but no thanks."

"Testy, are we?" George asked, flying up to her other side.

"A little bit, thanks to you."

"Aww, now we can't have that," Fred told her.

"No indeed," George agreed.

They left her alone after Wood yelled at them.

It was a good practice. They weren't quite sure what Wood's big plan was, but they worked on a lot of team maneuvers.

"Okay, team, I think that's enough," Wood finally announced after three hours of practice.

"Finally," Harry said, landing on the ground next to Wood. "I can barely feel my legs."

"That is a weakness that we can't have, Harry," Wood reprimanded.

"Oliver, take it easy." Onyx told him. "Relax. It's only Sunday, we have three more days."

"Two, we only have two more days!" he shrieked.

"Relax!" she yelled back. "Oliver, go take a nap or something. Quit freaking out."

"I might go for a run…" he said.

"Good idea."

"We'll come!" the twins said brightly.

"No! I need to _relax_." Wood told them.

They looked hurt. "Fine, but when you get bored, don't come crying to us," George said.

The team went back to the castle. When Onyx reached the common room, she saw that Harper was having a whispered conversation with Hermione and Ginny.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked curiously.

"Harry asked Hermione to the dance!" Harper practically shouted.

"Hush!" Hermione hissed. Onyx could see that she was blushing.

"About time, isn't it?" Harper asked Onyx.

Onyx nodded. "When did he ask you?"

"Early this morning. We were out by the lake," Hermione gushed uncharacteristically.

"Ooh," Harper and Onyx sang.

"And then he asked me—" Hermione got interrupted by a knock on the portrait.

"I'll get it," Onyx sighed. She didn't even think about how she was still in her Quidditch clothes and all sweaty.

She opened the portrait and there stood,

"Cedric? Um, hi. What, uh, are you doing here?" she stammered.

"Well, I figured that since you came to visit me, I should return the favor." He looked at her. "Did you just get back from practice?"

"Um…" she looked down at herself. "Yes. Oliver, you know him, he's freaking out about the game on Wednesday."

"Invite him in!" she heard Harper call out.

"What? No! He's not allowed!" Fred cried.

"Kick him out to the curb!" George added.

Onyx sighed and stepped out of the common room so she could be with Cedric in the hall.

"What's up, Ced?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say hi. So, hi."

"Is that all?" Onyx pried.

"Basically," Cedric answered. "I thought you might want a break from your tutoring."

"Well, thank you. It's nice talking to civilized people after spending the entire day with those two loonies." She pointed to the twins who were peeking out of the portrait. "Do you mind?" she asked them.

"Yes," they answered in unison.

She gave a sigh and Cedric smiled at her sympathetically.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" he asked her.

"No. I have nothing planned."

"Really—hmmmmm. I might have something. You up for it?"

"Sure," she grinned.

He looked her over. "You might want to change though," he advised.

She looked down at her outfit. "What's wrong with this?"

"Well, if you _want _to wear it I have no objections but it doesn't look that comfortable."

She grinned. "You're right, the shin guards are a downer. You can come in and wait for me," she said, ushering him into the common room.

His eyes widened. "Are you sure it's allowed?" he asked skeptically.

"Pssh, why wouldn't it be?" she asked as he cautiously stepped in. Right away, the twins had a field day.

"Onyx!" Fred yelled. "What are you doing? He's in Hufflepuff! He's not allowed in here!"

Onyx rolled her eyes. "There's no rule against it," she informed him. "He's allowed in here if I say so."

"Is not!" George hissed. "Nobody is allowed in the common room of another house! Not ever in the history of Hogwarts has it been allowed."

"Says who?" Harper asked, coming to Onyx's defense.

"Yeah, if it's not written down on paper then it's a bendable rule," Onyx announced. "Harps, protect Cedric while I go change, will you?"

"Sure thing."

"Wait, Onyx, I can handle myself," Cedric assured her.

Onyx raised her eyebrows. "If you're sure you'll be fine alone in a house full of Gryffindors who hate your guts…"

Cedric quickly glanced about the common room. "Um, Harper, how do you plan on protecting me?"

Laughing, Onyx made her way up the staircase as Harper explained to Cedric that everyone was afraid of her knitting needles. Thankfully for them all, Onyx was a very fast changer of clothes and was back downstairs in a flash. She was relieved to find that Cedric was still alive and sitting near the fire, talking to Harper and Harry.

"Still alive?" she asked him teasingly.

He glanced at her and did a double take. "Whoa."

"What? Did I forget to put something on?" Onyx asked worriedly, giving herself a quick once over.

"No, you just look… amazing," Cedric gawked. It was rather true. She had on jeans and a grey turtleneck, a scarf and shiny moonboots.

Onyx blushed, making Fred and George gag.

"Can he leave now before I have to throw up?" Fred asked, sounding panicked.

"Fine then," Cedric said. He offered Onyx his arm. "Shall we?"

"Oh, that's smooth," Harper said approvingly.

"We shall," Onyx grinned. And with that they marched out the portrait and into the hall. "So where are you taking me?" Onyx asked.

"It's a surprise. Just follow me," he told her, heading down the stairs.

"We aren't going to the kitchens again, are we? Because Draco tends to ruin that for us," she reminded him.

Laughing, he continued down the stairs and soon they were racing. He won, of course, and they burst onto the front lawn just as the sun was disappearing over the horizon.

"Aw we missed it," Onyx said, shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Missed what?" Cedric asked.

"The sunset!"

Much to her surprise, he grinned.

"What's so funny?" she asked him.

"That wasn't my plan," he told her.

"It wasn't?"

He shook his head and continued walking down towards the lake.

"We aren't going swimming, are we?" Onyx asked in sudden concern. "Because I'm wearing jeans and I don't feel like drowning tonight."

"No, we're not going drowning tonight," he assured her. "I've got an even better idea than that."

"You always have better ideas, don't you?" she observed.

"Some even call me romantic."

Onyx made a face. "I wouldn't call you romantic at all."

"Then what would you call me?" he challenged.

"Suave. Debonair. Charming, perhaps? Dazzling, intoxicating, terribly distracting… do you want me to go on?" she offered.

He stared at her. "That has to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Onyx was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes really."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Well then I'm glad I said it. So, what have you been planning?"

They had made their way to the beach and much to Onyx's surprise, Cedric lay down in the sand. "Get down here," he told her.

Onyx complied, lying down next to him.

"That's not what I meant."

She looked at him. "Then what did you mean?"

Next thing she knew, he was cradling her in his arms. "This is what I meant."

Not one to complain, she snuggled up against his chest. "This was your plan?" she teased him.

"Partially."

"What was the rest of it?"

"Look up," he instructed.

She did so and gasped because they were laying under a blanket of stars.

"I knew you'd like it," he said, sounding immensely pleased with himself.

"How did you know I loved stargazing so much?" she asked in total and complete shock.

"I have my sources," he said tantalizingly. "So was this a good plan?"

"It is an amazing plan," she gushed. She looked at him. "Thank you."

He answered by giving her a passionate kiss. "You are quite certainly welcome."

They lay there in silence for awhile, watching the sky in their own separate worlds. Onyx felt warm and comfortable being held in Cedric's arms. Cedric, on the other hand, was just thankful that she was there with him. He, like many other people, often thought that Onyx was an unobtainable girl. He had liked her since practically the moment they first met but was too gentlemanly to try and pursue her because he knew that she did not like being pressured into things. Caught by a sudden wave of emotion, he leaned in to kiss her neck but stopped short when he saw her turtleneck.

"Remind me to remind you to never wear turtlenecks again," he told her.

"What? Why?" she asked him in confusion. "What's wrong with them?"

"I can't kiss your neck," he said simply.

She blinked and then started to giggle uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that… nobody's ever said that to me before!" she laughed.

"Well, you have a beautiful neck and you shouldn't hide it," he told her, pulling the neck of her turtleneck down so he could kiss her neck.

Onyx smiled. "Ced."

He smirked into the kiss. He moved his lips from her neck to her jaw, following her jaw line to her lips and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

She was caught very off guard; Cedric surprised her with his passion. Not like she was complaining. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I think I am beginning to fall for you," Cedric told her as he pulled away.

She smiled at him and tousled his hair. "The feeling is mutual."

He tightened his arms around her. "You excited for Friday?"

"Very."

"You know, I am very excited too," he admitted, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"And why would that be?" she wanted to know, pressing her forehead against his.

"To be perfectly honest, I am really looking forward to seeing you in a dress."

Onyx beamed because she knew her dress would knock Cedric off his feet.

"What color is your dress?" Cedric asked.

"Hmmmm. I think that you will have to be pleasantly surprised at the dance."

"You are such a tease," he sighed, kissing her lips.

"Think of it this way," she began, "since you are always surprising me, consider this my surprise for you."

Cedric pouted. "You can't just tell me?" he simpered batting his eyelashes at her.

Onyx placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Nope. You are just going to have to wait it out."

He groaned.

She kissed him lightly on the lips. "I promise it will be worth it."

"All lies," he answered. "I will not believe that until I see it for myself."

"Well you won't be able to see it until Friday," she pointed out. "So you'll just have to take my word for it."

Cedric let out a long, dramatic sigh. "You are very mean to me, did you know that? It's really rather unattractive."

Onyx had to laugh. "Just wait until you see my dress," she enticed him. "And then say that I'm unattractive."

Cedric held her closer and kissed the top of her head. "I would never say that."

They spent the rest of the evening cuddled up together, especially as a chilly wind began to show its face. Only when Cedric realized that Onyx was shivering did he suggest that they go back upstairs.

"That might be a good idea," Onyx said gratefully as Cedric helped her to her feet. Holding hands, they made their way back up to the castle. It was dark and quiet inside, since it was once again near curfew. Hurrying as not to get caught, they raced up the stairwells all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Onyx made Cedric stay in the hall as she whispered the password to the portrait and she dutifully swung open.

As usual, Onyx's gang was sitting near the fireplace. They all looked over as Onyx lead Cedric into the common room.

"Hold up!" Fred said sternly, standing up and pointing at Cedric. "He's not allowed in here."

"Oh come on, Fred," Onyx rolled her eyes. "We've already been over this, there is no rule that states that students from other houses aren't allowed in other common rooms. He can come in here if I say so."

Fred sat back down, arms folded across his chest. "Fine then," he allowed. "He can stay. But he's only allowed where I can see him at all times. So no sneaking off to go snog in some closet."

Cedric blushed slightly but quickly retorted, "Come now, Fred, you know that all the good closets are in Hufflepuff anyway."

Ginny, Harper, and Hermione all laughed at that while Fred slumped back in defeat.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But you're still not allowed out of my sight."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Away from prying eyes." Cedric gave Onyx a quick kiss on the cheek and then headed towards the portrait. Onyx looked highly disappointed.

"Night!" she called out weakly.

"Oh, I really dislike that boy. I forbid you from seeing him ever again," Fred told her.

"Okay, Dad," she said, turning to face Fred. "Now, I am going to pummel you." She ran towards him and he quickly fled his chair. She chased him around the common room and then George joined in the fun, amidst Harper yelling at them all to stop.

"Come on, you guys, stop it. Onyx, quit chasing them. Fred, don't trip her!"

Everybody ignored her. In fact, all of the other Gryffindors seemed to enjoy the chase. They even started rooting for either Onyx or the twins. Onyx had more fans. Harper sighed and got back to her Potions essay.

Finally, Onyx gave up, after Fred tripped her twice, and the twins gave up after she froze them with a spell.

"Finally. Now you two quit prying into my business. Otherwise I am going to hurt you. Understand?" she asked.

"Mmm mm mmm!" George tried to talk, but the spell wouldn't allow him to move his mouth.

"I like this. We'd have way less distractions if we kept them like this," Onyx stated, turning to Harper, Hermione and Ginny.

"I think it should be permanent," Ginny decided.

Hermione agreed. "Just as long as you keep them away from their Weasley's Wizard Wheezes stuff."

The twins started making more 'mmmm' noises in protest. The girls all laughed except for Harper.

"I think that it will be boring without them," she said. "Although it is nice not hearing them go on about my dress."

Hermione and Ginny looked at her. "You got a dress?" they both cried.

"Why is that such big news?" Harper asked in exasperation, now regretting that she had brought the subject up again.

George made a noise that sounded like it was supposed to be 'ha ha'. Harper made a face at him.

"What does it look like?" Ginny wanted to know.

"I'll show you later. Maybe, if you're good." Harper started her homework again.

"Okay, I'm going to go to the library," Onyx announced. "I need a book for Charms. Does anybody want to come with me? No? Okay, I'll see you guys later." Onyx went to the portrait while the twins started making a ruckus.

"Mm! Mmm mm mmm mm!" they went urgently. But Onyx continued walking and stepped through the portrait.

"You know, I think I'll join her. Madam Pince said something about getting some new books." Hermione got up and ran after Onyx.

Ginny looked at Harper. "Should we let them go or what?" she asked, nodding towards the twins.

Harper smiled. "Well, it _is_ kind of nice having them contained…"

The twins sounded mad.

"Oh relax," she told them. She whipped out her wand and uttered the counter curse. The twins then fell on the floor in a heap.

"Oh well, it was fun while it lasted." Ginny got up. "I'm going to get something to eat. See you guys later." She left the common room, and then it was quiet. Everyone else had gone off to do something else, leaving Harper alone with the twins.

"I can't feel my jaw," Fred said, rubbing his mandible.

"My legs feel funny," George complained. He stood up and took a few tentative steps forward.

"You were only frozen for a few minutes," Harper informed them.

"Yes, and what a terrible few minutes those were," George said. "Curse that Onyx. Why on earth are you such good friends with her? How does that even work?"

"That is something you will never understand. Your heart is too small," she said, not looking up from her work.

"Yes, George, your heart is too small. I've been telling you that for years. That's why the girls always like me better," Fred said sadly.

"That's what I've been _telling_ you!" George cried.

"Would you two please stop it? I need to get this done before Snape kills me," Harper pleaded.

"Oh, he'll never kill you, he loves you. Just like he hates me," Fred told her.

"Get over it, Fred. He'll never love you back," George told him.

Fred sniffed. "I'll try, George, I'll try."

"Let's go bother Onyx!" George suddenly suggested.

"Splendid idea, old chum! Let's go!"

"Go let's." George skipped over to the portrait when Harper called to them.

"Guys, do not go bother her. Haven't you done that enough today?"

The twins looked at each other and then turned to Harper. "No." And with that they ran out the door.

Harper sighed and went back to work. No sooner did she finish it then Ron and Harry came in, looking mildly amused.

"What's so funny?" she asked them.

"Fred and George are down in the library making a big scene. They're imitating Onyx and Cedric," Harry told her.

"Ew. Are they really? I should get down there and try and stop them before she snaps." Harper headed for the door, but Harry stopped her.

"What do you care? It's hilarious! Even she was laughing at them!"

"Really?" Harper looked skeptical. "Well, then I'm missing out. See you."

"Why do they always get the girls?" Ron wondered aloud as Harper left the common room. Harry shrugged.

When Harper got to the library, she found the show instantly. There was a gaggle of students in the corner and they were laughing. Actually, there weren't that many people there, but it looked crowded in the small nooks of the library. In the middle were Fred and George, apparently dancing together. George was Cedric, since he kept stepping on Fred's feet and Fred would say, "Ouch! Cedric, you clodhopper!"

"Sorry," George said in a dull voice. "I can't help being a clodhopper."

Then Lee Jordan joined in, going, "Hi, Onyx. Ah! It's Ugly McFugly! My eyes!"

Then the twins started up their Ugly McFugly dance amid the laughter of everyone who was present. Harper made her way over to Onyx and saw, much to her surprise, that Cedric was there. They were both laughing hysterically at the twins' antics.

"How long has this been going on?" Harper asked, sitting down next to Onyx.

"Ever since I got down here," Cedric answered.

"Did you finish your homework for Snape?" Onyx asked.

Harper rolled her eyes. "That man is pure evil. How on earth are we supposed to know how quickly poisonous potions kill, it's not like we know from experience!"

"Ced and I already finished our paper. What took you so long with it?" Onyx inquired.

"I had to help the twins with theirs because you were gone or something. I don't know, something came up and I couldn't finish it. I forget," Harper said, glancing about the library.

"Why were you helping the twins? I'm the one tutoring them." Onyx looked confused.

"Because she's bloody brilliant and not dating a Pretty Boy," George said, sitting down next to Cedric.

"Well, Onyx is bloody brilliant, but she's dating old Pretty Boy, so that definitely docks points from her intelligence. No offense," Fred looked to Cedric.

"None taken. At least I don't look like greasy Malface," Cedric replied.

"Oh! I like it!" George declared. "I do say, Pretty Boy made a funny!"

"It was one decent joke," Fred said. "He's still young yet."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Onyx told them.

"It was the night you had your big date with Pretty Boy. I bet we fail it, though," George smirked at Harper.

"I almost hope you do now," she shot back.

"Then we blame it on you," Fred replied.

"I'll say you cheated off me."

"You cheated on me?" George cried. "I thought that we had something special!" He pretended to cry.

"What? I thought that you were dating _me_!" Fred stated. "My heart, it's been flouted."

"It's been what?" Onyx asked as George continued to sob.

"Flouted. It means 'broken'," George explained, and then began sobbing again.

"Where did you learn that?" Onyx asked in surprise.

"Harper." Fred stated simply.

"What can I say? I'm bloody brilliant," Harper said modestly.

"But not as much as our Professor," Fred told her. He started the 'Dead Dead Witch' song and George joined right in. They both got up and started the dance that they made up for it.

Cedric, having never seen the dance before, was rather intrigued, but Onyx dragged him away. Harper stayed for the performance and gave the twins a small round of applause before getting up and leaving.

"Wait just one minute," George said. "Where do you think you're going off to alone?"

"To the common room. Why? Worried for my safety?" she asked, remembering Zonko's.

"No. Quite the contrary. We want to get ahead in case you…you…" he looked to Fred. "Help me here."

"In case you decide to do something and blame it on us. This way, we have an alibi."

"I like it. Very clever," George declared.

"I do say, it was clever, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was. I believe a congratulations is in order." George bowed to Fred. "Congratulations."

Neither of them noticed that Harper had left. She started off towards the common room and ran up the stairs, every other step as usual. When the twins realized that she had escaped, they tried to go after her.

"Which way did she go?" Fred asked, looking down the hall.

"No idea. But, seeing as she said that she is going to the common room, I'll say that she went this way." George pointed to his right and they ran off.

"Why are we running after her, again?" Fred asked.

"I have no idea. I think it's because I'm trying to make Onyx jealous. I don't understand how my mind works," George replied. He had no idea how this idea came to him; it just did. So for the past week or so he had been spending more and more time getting to know Harper. He was picking on her more and generally spending more time with her than ever before. Unfortunately, the more he got to know her, the more he realized that neither she nor Onyx were really the jealous types. This was a serious kink in his flawless plan and yet he was still hanging out with her…

"Isn't that a bit cruel, leading one on to get the other?" Fred had stopped running and looked at George.

"You know, it's that exact mentality that gets you all the girls. You sicken me," George said. "You're too sweet."

Fred shrugged. "Hey, it works."

"That it does. How on earth did she disappear so quickly?" George wondered, craning his neck to see further down the hall.

"Is it possible that she knows some of our passage ways?" Fred asked. "Maybe Onyx told her some of them."

"Maybe. Oh well. I'm hungry. Let's raid the kitchens."

"Let's. Maybe that Dobby has more cream puffs!" Fred said hopefully.

Harper was back in the common room by the time the twins got into the kitchens. She was fast. That was all there was to it. Onyx didn't come back until much later.

"Where did you two run off to?" Harper asked curiously, knitting of course.

"The courtyard, actually. We just sat and talked. Except it started raining."

"Fun. Sitting in the rain. I can imagine how that went."

"So, what did you and the twins do?" Onyx asked, plopping in the chair next to Harper's.

"Nothing. I left them while they were congratulating each other about something."

"Clever." Onyx yawned. "I can't wait until Friday," she said.

"What about Wednesday?" Harper wanted to know.

"Wednesday? Oh, yeah, the big game. I'm excited about that too. I can finally kick Malfoy's butt once and for all."

"Haven't you already?" Harper asked, grinning.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I get to do it again. This will be a very long week."


	11. Chapter 11

It was. Wednesday came, finally, and everyone at Hogwarts was looking forward to the game. When the two teams met on the pitch, Lee Jordan announced, "Give a welcome to the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint! And here is Seeker Draco Malfoy. And that's the rest of the team down there, hey guys."

The Slytherins in the crowd went crazy, even Snape stood up and clapped. Standing beside him was his 'date', Geraldine.

"And now, here's the Gryffindors! You know them, you love them, it's Captain and Keeper, Oliver Wood! And the best Chaser Hogwarts has ever seen, Onyx Atwood!"

The crowd screamed, even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs clapped for them.

"And here's Johnson, Weasley, Weasley, Bell, and Potter!"

The crowd went crazy, drowning out the boos and hisses of the Slytherins.

"And now, the Captains will shake hands…shake hands. Flint, shake hands!"

Flint reluctantly took Wood's hand and promptly dropped it.

"Good enough. Okay, and now for the surprise! Captains, choose of your team, the best…DANCER!"

"What?" Wood asked, looking to Madam Hooch. "Dancer? What's this about? This is a Quidditch match! The big game! Not a dance, that's on Friday!"

"Relax, Wood," Hooch told him. "It's a crowd-pleaser. Now choose a dancer."

Wood turned to face his team. Fred and George had their hands raised.

"Please! Wood, oh, choose me!" they said.

"No, I'm going to have to go with…Onyx."

Fred and George couldn't hide their disappointment. "She gets to do everything!" Fred complained.

"Ollie, I can't do this! Choose one of them!" Onyx begged.

"Yes, listen to the girl!" George urged.

"Shut up!" Wood snapped. "Onyx, I've seen you dance before, you're great."

"Yes, but, the whole school. It's going to be embarrassing."

"Do it for the team. Do it for Gryffindor!" Wood pleaded. "Please?"

Onyx sighed. "Fine."

Up in the stands, Cedric couldn't believe his eyes. "Onyx's going to do it? This is going to be very interesting."

Harper felt the same way. "What are they thinking, a dance-off? This is stupid. But, entertaining at the same time." She looked down at the field. "Oh no. Did Flint choose Malfoy?"

Hermione and Ron looked down, too. "Oh, this is going to be _sweet_!" Ron cried.

"Okay, dancers, get ready. Step up to the lines, please. Wait, where are the lines? Professor McGonagall, would you mind?"

Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the field and soon two orange lines appeared.

"Thank you. Now, dancers, step up to the lines and shake hands."

Malfoy took Onyx's hand and kissed it.

"Ew, Malfoy! Stop it!" she spat, pulling her hand away in disgust.

"It's for good luck," he told her.

"Okay, Filch, start the music! Oh, wait, not yet. I need to explain the rules. Well, basically, you dance and the crowd chooses the winner by cheering for the one they think was the best. Okay, Filch. Hit it!"

The song was the Hippogriff Song from the Weird Sisters and the four dancers really had no choice but to dance. Oliver and Onyx were obviously the better dancers, and in the back, the rest of the Gryffindor team danced, too. Fred and George really got into it.

Soon the song changed to the Numa Numa song, and by then Onyx wasn't feeling as stupid and started to let loose. Malfoy and Flint were dancing like robots, but they weren't doing the actual robot dance.

Lee made comments throughout the entire thing, such as, "Looking good, Gryffindor!" and "What are you doing, Slytherin? You're supposed to dance, you bums."

In the end, Oliver and Onyx won by a large and loud margin.

"That was completely idiotic!" Oliver yelled to Onyx over the cheers of the rest of the students in the stands.

"I know!" Onyx yelled back. "Wasn't it fun?"

"Okay, now Madam Hooch can start the game," Lee said into the microphone. "Madam Hooch, will you do the honors?"

The rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams flew onto the pitch. Fred and George brought out Oliver and Onyx's brooms, but held them high above their heads, as the twins were on their brooms and therefore flying.

"Fred, George, give us our brooms!" Oliver shouted at them as the twins then flew above them, chanting, "Jump, jump, you can do it, seeing as there's nothing to it."

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered.

Oliver went over to Marcus Flint and they dropped their hands as soon as they touched.

"Good enough," Madam Hooch muttered. "On your brooms, please."

Fred and George had no choice but to give Onyx and Oliver their brooms back, so they dropped them on the cousins' heads.

"Gits," Oliver scowled, kicking off and flying towards his post.

Onyx joined him and then Madam Hooch blew the whistle, releasing the Snitch. Onyx watched as Harry immediately dove after it and as Malfoy dove after Harry.

_Git,_ she thought to herself. He was doing a Cho. Why did they all do a Cho? On the other hand, it was a good thing for the Gryffindors.

"Onyx, get your head in the game!" Oliver screamed at her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "We can't afford to lose!"

Onyx sighed and flew towards Angelina and Katie. The Slytherins had acquired the ball somehow and were fighting tooth and nail to keep it. Angelina already had a scratch on her cheek.

"Are you okay?" Onyx called to her as she flew by the other Chaser's side.

"I'm just fine, they have the ball and scratch you if you try to take it away," Angelina said brightly, swerving to avoid a Bludger. "This is going to be a great game, I can just tell."

Onyx laughed as she flew onward towards Flint's broom. "Hi, Flint," she greeted him as she flew next to him and sent a wink in his direction.

Momentarily baffled by her [as most of the boys at Hogwars were] he gaped. In his distraction, Onyx grabbed for the Quaffle. "Thanks," she said, flying towards the Slytherin goals.

"What-?" Flint whipped around and chased after her.

"Onyx!" Katie yelled, and Onyx threw the Quaffle to her teammate, who then threw it into the goal.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee announced jubilantly.

The Gryffindors all cheered loudly from the stands. Onyx could hear the Slytherins booing them.

"Good play, Onyx," Fred called from above. "It looked fairly decent."

She ignored this and continued playing the game. It ended up being a close one. Slytherin somehow acquired fifty points and Onyx knew that Oliver was beating himself up about it. But there was no way for her to cheer him up, because she spent most of her time at the Slytherin end. Gryffindor had scored sixty more points after the first ten after a grueling two and a half hours. Harry wasn't making any headway with the Snitch, which seemed particularly small for some reason. Malfoy kept bashing into Harry on purpose, which allowed Gryffindor to make three penalty shots.

Onyx watched with satisfaction as Flint blew up at Malfoy after the second penalty shot, which she made, of course.

By the fourth hour, she was getting tired. Her legs were getting sore and her hands were getting cold. She could tell that the rest of the team was becoming disheartened, and what was worse was that the Slytherins picked up on this and it made them more confident. They scored thirty more points, which meant that they were winning. Soon the teams were at 110 and 130 and Harry was still following after the Snitch, Malfoy still following after him. Gryffindor just needed twenty more points to tie the game and Onyx saw her chance when some of the Slytherin Chasers were getting cocky and kept passing the ball between themselves. Right when the Quaffle was in midair, Onyx flew in and snatched it.

"Hey!" one of the Chasers cried in anger. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I can," Onyx sang out, racing to the Slytherin's goal posts. She threw the ball and the Keeper missed it. Ten points to go.

"And that's another ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee yelled. "Finally, we had a bit of a dry spell there."

Marcus Flint was getting impatient. This game was going too long and there was no way he was letting the Gryffindors win. Flying over to one of his Beaters, he grabbed the bat and hit the Bludger that was oddly enough flying towards him. With a large swing, Flint sent the Bludger Onyx's way when she wasn't looking. It hit Onyx in the small of her back and almost knocked her off of her broom.

"Onyx! No!" Oliver screamed in horror. They couldn't win this game without her.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "That was uncalled for!" she yelled to Flint as she flew to Onyx. "Penalty for Gryffindor! Onyx, how are you?"

Onyx had the wind knocked out of her and could barely speak. She just nodded.

"Are you sure?" Madam Hooch asked as the rest of the Gryffindor team swarmed around their injured player.

"Onyx!" Oliver said, pushing everyone else out of the way to get to his cousin. "Can you still play?"

"Oliver!" Angelina chided. "At least ask if she's okay first."

"Right, sorry," Oliver said quickly. "If you can still play, nod."

Onyx nodded, still trying to get her breath back.

"Breathe, Onyx, breathe!" Fred cried out dramatically.

"Don't leave us! Stay away from the light!" George added.

"Would you two stop it?" Oliver cried, trying hard not to panic.

"Calm down, Ollie," Onyx said, rubbing her back.

"You're alive!" Fred and George shouted in unison.

"Of course I am," Onyx told them.

"Are you sure that you're all right?" Madam Hooch asked.

Onyx nodded. "I should be okay. I'll be sore, but I'll be fine."

"Good, now we can win," Oliver said briskly.

"Quit being so emotionless," Harry told him. "She's injured, Wood."

"Oh, now _you_ like her, too?" Fred sighed. "My goodness, we all have the same taste, don't we?"

Onyx didn't even pick up on this, which was perhaps a good thing.

"Are you sure you can play?" Madam Hooch asked again.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Onyx assured her. "I'll just have to be careful."

"Fine, good enough, let's go." Oliver started off to the goal again.

Madam Hooch sighed. "Only if you're sure."

The game started again and the Slytherins decided to take advantage of the weakness in Gryffindor's offence. Twenty more points were scored thanks to Flint and his cohorts and Oliver was feeling battered. The Quaffle hit his head and bounced in the goal and it counted which made him very upset. Madame Hooch almost gave Slytherin the penalty because Oliver was arguing so much over the call.

"Come on, Onyx," Katie called to her. "We only have thirty more points to go!"

Feeling grim, Onyx paused to survey the game. Harry was swerving another Bludger; the Slytherin Beaters seemed to be going after him and him alone. She got an idea. She quickly spotted Fred above her. "Fred!" she called to him. "Fred, I need you!"

He looked down in surprise. "You do? This is rather sudden, isn't it?"

"That's not what I meant!" she cried as Flint got ahold of the Quaffle. "Fred, I need to and George to go after Malfoy. Get him to stop following Harry."

"But Wood told us to focus on Flint!" Fred told her.

"I know, but you have to get rid of Malfoy!" Onyx pleaded. "Please?"

"Onyx, what are you doing?" Katie asked in concern.

Onyx ignored her. Fred was looking from her to Wood, from Malfoy to Flint and back again. Finally, he looked back at her.

"Okay," he said. "But if we get in trouble…"

"I'll take the heat," she finished. "Thanks, Fred!" Without waiting for him to respond, she flew after Flint, Katie at her tail. Flint was approaching Oliver at a breakneck speed. There was no way that she could stop him in time.

"Flint!" she called out.

Startled, he turned around to see who was calling him. Angelina took her chance and grabbed the Quaffle from his hands and started flying towards the Slytherin end. With a grin, Onyx and Katie followed her. They made it to the goal when a Bludger came flying their way. It hit the Quaffle out of Angelina's hand and Onyx had to dive for it lest they lose the chance to get the goal. Before any of the Slytherin Chasers could stop her, she lobbed the ball towards the goal. Katie and Angelina both yelled, distracting the Keeper and the Quaffle flew miraculously into the goal.

"Goal!" Lee Jordan yelled. "Twenty points left until the game is tied! What a play by the lovely Gryffindor Chasers!"

The crowd whooped and hollered. "That was amazing!" Harper squealed, clapping maniacally.

"Hey, look at Fred and George," Ron said, pointing. The girls followed his gaze and saw that the twins were trailing Malfoy. The Bludger in their possession kept bouncing towards the Seeker and he was constantly having to swerve and dive to get out of it's way.

"What are you doing?" he kept yelling back to them. "You're going to make me crash."

"So?" George asked, swinging his bat and sending the Bludger towards Malfoy's greasy head. Malfoy had to fly up to avoid it and in doing so lost sight of Harry. He looked around desperately for his nemesis as Oliver yelled to Fred and George.

"You're supposed to be on Flint, not Malfoy! Watch Flint!" Oliver was livid that they weren't listening to him. Flint was, after all, the bigger worry. Malfoy really wasn't much of a threat.

But now that Malfoy was grabbing onto his broom to slow him down, or bashing into him, Harry had the freedom to speed around the field and go after the Snitch. He finally caught a glimpse of it and raced towards it before Malfoy could catch up to him. Flint was going after Onyx, who had control of the Quaffle. Someone bashed her and she almost dropped the ball but regained control and kept flying towards the Slytherin post. Suddenly two Slytherins bashed either side of her and stayed there, keeping her in between them. She couldn't control her own broom and the Slytherins made her turn back towards the Gryffindor goal.

Angered by this, Harry gave a final burst of speed and before he knew it, his hands had closed around the tiny little Snitch. The crowd erupted, startling the two Slytherins keeping Onyx hostage. Flint looked around in shock, saw Harry holding the Snitch high over his head, and bellowed.

"And Gryffindor wins!" Lee screamed. "Gryffindor wins! Yay Gryffindor! Take that you slimy, stinky Slytherins!"

"Lee," McGonagall said warningly, but he could see that she was grinning with pleasure.

Oliver's eyes widened as he realized their victory. The rest of the team surrounded him, yelling with excitement. Onyx beat the two Slytherins away and rushed to her team. Together, they all landed on the ground and turned around as Dumbledore strode towards them, beaming and holding the unmistakable Quidditch House Cup.

"Congratulations," he told them. "That was a game well played." He looked at Harry. "The Snitch, please?"

Harry handed it over to the headmaster. Dumbledore then passed it to Madame Hooch, who stuck it in her pocket.

"And now I give you the Quidditch House Cup," Dumbledore announced, giving the Cup to Oliver. "I am so very proud of all of you."

The team was obviously elated at the win, but not nearly as much as Oliver who was sobbing tears of joy.

"Thank you, thank you," he cried, pulling the team into a giant group hug. "We won, we won! I can't believe it, I can't believe it!"

The twins looked disgusted. "Must you repeat everything?" Fred asked.

"Yes, you're sucking all of the fun out of it," George added, pulling away from the group.

Harry glanced over to the Slytherin team who was getting chewed out by a very angry Marcus Flint. Malfoy looked particularly upset at the loss.

"I'm so proud of you all!" Oliver gushed, eyes still streaming, hoisting the Cup for all to see. "I love you!"

"Oh, grow up," George spat. "You're just emotional. Don't go all girly on us, Wood."

Onyx hit George's arm. "George, stop ruining the moment," she chided.

Fred looked up. "You were having a moment?"

"Oh yes," George said teasingly. "And what a moment it was, you should have been there. I think Onyx likes me."

Onyx rolled her eyes while the rest of the girls on the team laughed.

"Well, I must say," Fred said. "I am quite jealous."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Of Onyx? Now it comes out."

"No," Fred said, making a face. "Of George. What a little brain you have, Potter old chap."

"Would you two stop it?" Oliver cried. "You are ruining my moment of triumph!"

"Your moment?" Angelina repeated. "Don't you mean _our_ moment of triumph? As a team?"

"Right, of course," Oliver said, flustered. "The team. Have I told you guys that I love you?"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you would keep your affections at bay," George muttered.

"Wow, you were right," Fred exclaimed. "There really _was_ a moment going on!"

By now the rest of the school had pooled out onto the Quidditch pitch and was swarming around both the winning and losing teams. The Gryffindor team was lifted onto shoulders and the Slytherin house was shoved aside, since none of the other houses liked them anyway. This made the Slytherins very disgruntled indeed.

"Harry, you did it!" Hermione squealed with excitement, running up to him as he was lifted on Seamus and Dean's shoulders. "You beat Malfoy! You did it, you did it! Oh, I cannot wait to see the look on his little ferret face, I am so glad that you beat him, Harry!" Her face was red with excitement.

"Oi, Harry's not the only one on the team, you know," Fred told Hermione. "He had help. And a lot of it. More than once I had to save his nose from oblivion."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Fred. And George. And everybody else. Hi Onyx!" Hermione waved.

Onyx waved back and then scanned the crowds for Harper. And Cedric, of course. She didn't have to look for very long.

"Onyx!" Harper yelled.

Onyx whirled around, which was quite difficult as she was on some strangers' shoulders, and saw Harper running towards her.

"Harper! We won!" Onyx cried out, as obvious as the fact was.

"I know, I was watching from the stands!" Harper cried back. "I can't wait until the party in the common room! We're going to party 'till we're purple!"

"I love being purple!" George yelled, pumping his fists in the air.

Harper looked at him. "What, is that a hobby of yours or something?" she laughed.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Hey, save me a butterbeer, would you? I'm going to be a bit late for the festivities," he told her and before he could explain further, the crowd then carried the twins off jubilantly.

"Why are they going to be late?" Harper wanted to know, sounding as if she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know or not.

Onyx shrugged. "Who knows? It's Fred and George. Hey, have you seen Cedric?" she asked nonchalantly.

A smile crept to Harper's lips. "Can't stand to be apart even for a few hours, can you?"

Onyx blushed.

"Well, no matter. No, I have not seen him. But don't worry," she said quickly as Onyx's face fell (no doubt she was remembering the last Quidditch game), "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. And not with Cho."

"No, of course not," Onyx said, scanning the crowds once more her boyfriend. "He's probably just making his way through the throng. I bet he's on his way over here right now as we speak. No, he's not with Cho. Hugging. Or snogging." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no, Harps, what if they're snogging?!"

"What are you two talking about?" one of the students holding Onyx up asked in exasperation.

"Sorry," Onyx quickly apologized.

"Can we go back to the common room now?" the other student wanted to know.

"Oh, sure," Onyx told him. And so they went, with Harper trailing behind, keeping quiet as not to annoy the two boys lest they decide to just up and drop Onyx to the ground.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: **Big BIG thanks to HattietheGreat and IKhandoZatman for following our story! It means the world to us! Y'all are great! Carry on._

When they finally reached the common room, the boys let Onyx down and they joined the party. Oliver was standing on a coffee table, holding up the Quidditch Cup for the entire house to see.

"I dedicate this cup, this chalice, this beacon of hope, this…this gorgeous being of gold—"

"Get on with it!" Ron yelled to him while the rest of the house laughed.

"Just let me talk, Weasley." Oliver snapped, but they could see him smiling.

"Wow, he's practically giddy," Onyx commented to Harper.

"Yeah," Harper said absently, glancing about the room.

"What are you looking for?" Onyx inquired.

"Do you see the twins?" Harper asked her curiously.

"No," Onyx said slowly. "Why? You aren't starting to fancy them, are you?" she asked accusingly.

"No, of course not!" Harper looked revolted at the idea. "You know I don't suffer from MGD like every other girl in this school."

"I don't suffer from MGD—" Onyx started defensively.

"Ah, but you have a boyfriend," Harper reminded her.

"Yeah well, he didn't come to congratulate me after the game," Onyx pouted, looking severely disappointed.

"That's true, and I am sure that he has a perfectly good excuse, but anyway, I'm just worried that the twins are up to something."

"Are you sure that you aren't just worried that they're out chasing some other girl?" Onyx teased.

Harper rolled her eyes just as Oliver finished his speech and started crowd surfing.

"Is he crazy?" Onyx exclaimed. "This is very unlike him!"

"He really must be giddy," Harper said, watching as Oliver was almost dropped by a bunch of first years. "Either that or he got into Filch's fire whiskey."

Onyx glanced at Harper. "How do you know Filch has fire whiskey?" she asked suspiciously.

Harper merely smiled. Just then there was a loud boom and everyone screamed and covered their heads with their hands. Several people, mostly girls, lay on the floor screaming bloody murder.

"Oh, what are those two doing?" Harper groaned as an impressive fireworks display began.

And it truly was impressive. There were dragons, Catherine wheels, animals, and even an image of Dumbledore in every color imaginable. Some multiplied, others grew with the applause and some circled around the room and lasted for hours. After around twenty minutes of fireworks, (the Catherine wheels were the ones that lasted for hours. In fact, they were still circling around the common room the next morning, although all the fire had gone out of them and they were only puffs of smoke) Fred and George strode into the room to thunderous applause. The girls had all remained on the floor for some reason and had to jump up out of the twins' way as they walked around.

"Thank you, thank you," George said, bowing.

"It was no big deal, really, you are too kind, just too kind," Fred cried, waving to the crowd.

Harper and Onyx looked at each other, shaking their heads. What the twins would do for a little attention. Hermione made her way over to them.

"Can you believe those two?" she cried. "They must have broken about seven school rules with those fireworks!"

"Well, since when did Fred and George abide by rules?" Harper asked with a slight smile.

"Never," Hermione admitted.

"There you go."

"Weasley's Fireworks, ladies and gentlemen," George began. "Only five Galleons per box. It's one deal to behold."

"In one box you get a set of four fireworks, each handmade to perfection!" Fred continued.

"There are many different varieties, as displayed tonight," George went on. "Really, it is quite a deal, people."

"Can you believe those two?" Hermione asked again.

"You already asked that," Harper informed her.

"Somebody has to put a stop to this," Hermione decided.

"You're the Prefect," Onyx reminded her.

"Yes, you go march up to Fred and George right now and remind them, in front of the entire house, that they cannot sell those awesome fireworks to the masses for great monetary profit," Harper urged Hermione. "I am certain that they will be very understanding and that the crowd will not boo and hiss you at all, nor will they want to tar and feather you."

Hermione looked horrified at the idea. "Well, maybe I won't say anything tonight," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Good idea," Harper told her.

Onyx had to laugh. "You really are persuasive, Harper."

Harper shrugged. "It's a gift," she said modestly.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" Onyx asked suddenly.

"Somewhere," Hermione sighed. "Ron got a hold of the butterbeers and wouldn't share them with anybody for awhile and caused a mass riot. I haven't seen him since. He's probably in some closet somewhere, locked up and unconscious."

Onyx and Harper stared at her.

"I'm kidding," Hermione told them. "Not about the hoarding of the butterbeers, that part was true, but he and Harry are over in the chairs by the fire," she pointed.

"Ah, prime seating, I see," Harper commented. She glanced at Hermione. "Harry didn't save a seat for you?"

Hermione, much to Onyx and Harper's surprise, blushed.

"Wow, this is getting serious," Harper grinned.

"No it's not," Hermione told them. "Why, am I blushing? Oh great, I'm blushing, aren't I?"

Onyx and Harper nodded.

"Great," Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "I'm blushing. Over _Harry_! I can't do this, I don't like him like that!"

"Sure," Onyx said. "He just asked you to the Quidditch ball. That doesn't mean anything. He probably just asked you so that he could go with somebody he knows."

"Really?" Hermione asked quickly. "Is that what he told you?"

Onyx laughed. "No, Hermione, I'm only kidding. I'm sure he asked you because he really wanted you to go with him."

"Oh." Hermione looked over to the fireplace. "This is all so confusing," she moaned.

"Tell me about it," Harper said dryly.

Onyx shot a quick look at Harper.

"Although I already had you two figured out anyway," Harper went on. She noticed that Onyx was looking at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Onyx said quickly. "I just thought that you were going to admit that you liked somebody, that's all."

"Why would I do that?" Harper looked confused. "I don't like anybody. That's what makes me different, remember?"

"Whatever you say," Onyx sang, turning her attention back to the twins, who apparently were making a huge profit on their fireworks, much to Oliver's chagrin. He was trying to get them to quit bothering the house and focus on celebrating Gryffindor's victory. He even threatened to kick them off the team but some third years shoved him away before the words left his mouth.

He marched over to the girls in disgust.

"Stinking fireworks…ruining our shining moment…" he muttered, standing next to Onyx.

"Oh, Ollie, relax," Onyx reprimanded. "It's still a party for us, after all."

"Yes, but they're ruining it!" Oliver whined. "This was supposed to be a victory party! We beat Slytherin and all everybody cares about is whether they should buy wheels that last forever or an effigy of our Headmaster!"

"It's not an effigy, Oliver," Harper said, horrified at the idea of people burning effigies of Dumbledore.

"You know what I mean!" he said, stamping his foot on the ground like a child.

"Oliver, calm down!" Onyx was shocked at his childlike behavior. "It's not like it's a party honoring you, it's a party for all of Gryffindor."

"No, it's a party for the Gryffindor team, who beat Slytherin! Why does nobody understand this?!" he shrieked.

"Why don't you go have a nice cold butterbeer?" Harper suggested. "It might do you some good."

"I don't need a butterbeer!" Oliver snapped. "Wait, they have butterbeer here?" His expression changed from one resembling a toddler on the verge of a tantrum to that of somebody who had just won the lottery. He quickly ran off in search of some butterbeer.

"That was easy," Onyx said, watching her cousin grab an unopened butterbeer out of Angelina's hand. "He was really stressed out all week, he really needs to just sit and relax."

"He really needs a drink, you mean," Harper laughed.

"Enough with the drinks," Onyx told her, sighing.

"Speaking of drinks, do you have my butterbeer, Harper?" George asked, walking up to her.

Harper held out a butterbeer bottle. George reached out to grab it when Harper pulled it away.

"You didn't say please, George, nor thank you."

"That wasn't part of the deal," he said, not looking happy.

"It's common courtesy!" she exclaimed. "Come on, do you know what I went through to get this for you?"

"You went up to Dean and asked for it," Onyx said, confused. "But I didn't know you were getting it for_ him,_" she said, nodding towards George.

"He asked me to save him one earlier because he said that they would be late," Harper explained.

"Yes, and I really appreciate it, thank you very much. Now if you would please hand it over, I still have some first years to jeezul out of their money," George informed her.

"You _what_?" Hermione asked as Harper handed George his butterbeer.

He tipped it to Harper in thanks while answering Hermione, "It's business talk, even a smart one like you wouldn't understand."

Hermione clenched her fist and took a step towards him but Harper held her back.

"Come on, Hermione, you know he's just teasing you," Harper said reasonably.

"That I am," George said brightly. "Thanks for the drink, Harps." He turned and joined Fred once more in jeezuling the first years out of their money.

"Since when does he call you 'Harps'?" Onyx asked in astonishment.

Harper shrugged. "Since now, I suppose. Hey, they're playing music!" she said suddenly. "Come on, guys, let's do something other than just stand here."

"Good idea. What do you propose we do?" Hermione asked. "And don't say 'dance', I don't want to do that."

"Aren't you just a barrel of fun," Harper said pleasantly. "Well, fine then. What do _you_ want to do?"

"Go to bed. Partying really isn't my thing." Hermione did truly look tired. "I still have some homework to finish, anyway."

"You still have homework to do," Onyx repeated in disbelief. "_You _still have homework to do? It's Saturday!"

Hermione shrugged. "Well, I had other things to do."

Harper was flabbergasted. "Hermione, in all of the years I have known you, and I believe there have been seven, I have never known you to have other things to do aside from schoolwork or something that has to do with S.P.E.W."

Onyx winced at the mention of Hermione's anti-elf slavery movement. Every time it was mentioned, Hermione got a new resolve to abolish Elvin slavery all over again.

But not this time. "I'm not all about school, you know," Hermione spat.

Harper raised her eyebrows. "Since when?"

Hermione's face reddened slightly. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself. Instead she just spun on her heels and ran up the steps to the girl's dormitory.

Harper turned to Onyx, looking worried. "I wasn't _that_ harsh, was I? I was only teasing, anyway. Well, for the most part," she added.

"No, you weren't harsh. I think she just took it the wrong way." Onyx looked over to the stairwell where Hermione had disappeared. "Something must be bothering her."

"Psh."

Onyx looked at Harper. "Pardon?"

"Well, of course something is bothering her!" Harper cried out. "Something has been bothering her for the past few days and it is driving me crazy because I just _cannot_ think of what it is!" She folded her arms across her chest and 'humphed'.

Onyx had to laugh. It was the little things that got to Harper. While big projects and problems loomed over others, she spent time worrying over things that most everybody else overlooked. And Onyx had, apparently, overlooked the fact that something had been bothering Hermione lately. She felt bad for not picking up on it sooner.

"I wonder what's been upsetting her? Do you think it has to do with Harry?" she questioned. _Or perhaps the love potions?_

Harper shook her head. "I wondered that myself but I don't think that's it. He's already asked her, hasn't he? So she can't be worrying about getting a date." She looked thoughtful. "Maybe the school thing hit a nerve because it took this long for him…" she trailed off and looked at Onyx. "I think that's it. She spends so much time on schoolwork and basically ignores boys. Sure, there was that thing with Krum, but still. Maybe she finally realized that boys just aren't attracted to bookworms." She made a face. "Which is completely ridiculous. If God made someone for everybody then they won't care if you're a bookworm or not. They should love you for who you are, not because you conform to the standards of society."

Onyx was completely shocked at Harper's speech. She was almost sorry that nobody else had been around to hear it, too. "So I take it you haven't given the problem much thought," she commented with a wry smile.

"No, none at all." Harper looked over to the festivities. Fred and George were doing some Irish jig to a Twisted Sisters song that wasn't Irish-sounding at all. "Nobody but Fred and George would think to do a jig to this song," she commented, shaking her head in amusement. "Those two really are nuts."

"Yes, they are," Onyx agreed. "But I'm still mad at them over that thing with the fountain. And then Fred yelled at me for coming in late after a date with Cedric. They've been annoying me a lot lately."

Harper glanced over to her friend.

"What?" Onyx asked quickly, afraid that she had missed something else important.

"Nothing," Harper airily replied.

"Obviously it's something if you're glancing at me over it. Come on, what is it?" Onyx pressed.

Harper watched as George tried dancing while balancing a bottle of butterbeer on his head. "Fred was the one who yelled at you, right?"

"Yes," Onyx said slowly, not quite sure as to where this was going. Or if she even wanted to know.

Harper didn't say anything else for a few seconds.

"Harper, what are you getting at?" Onyx burst.

Her friend grinned. "You really don't know? Or are you just trying to ignore it and hope it goes away?"

"Hope _what_ goes away? Harper, what are you _talking_ about?" Onyx cried. One of her great pet peeves was when people beat around the bush or when people just wouldn't finish whatever it was they had started. It was just plain annoying, especially right now when Harper clearly knew something that Onyx clearly did not know.

"Fred," Harper said simply. "He's been acting odd lately, hasn't he?"

Onyx thought for a moment. "No, not really. Not that I've noticed, anyway."

Harper's eyes widened. "That's it! That really is it!" she marveled.

"That really is _what_?" Onyx was getting impatient now.

"If you don't know, then I have half a mind not to tell you," Harper announced, looking back at the party. "Besides, he'd probably rather that you didn't know. Not with this whole thing with Cedric going on."

Onyx was still confused. "What wouldn't Fred want me to know that has to do with Cedric?" This time _her_ eyes widened. "Is Cedric seeing Cho again? Is that what it is? Fred probably saw them together and…and…" she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"No, Onyx, that's not it at all," Harper said, rolling her eyes. "Fred would certainly tell you _that_. He would probably jump at the chance. I bet he'd love for nothing more than to catch Cedric with Cho. Except he wouldn't wish that kind of pain on you." Harper looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, he'd hate to see you hurt."

Onyx hesitated. Was Harper saying what Onyx thought she was saying? She looked over to where the party was. It didn't take her long to spot the twins and much to her surprise, Fred was looking right at her. Once he realized that she caught him looking at her, he quickly looked away, slightly red in the face. Onyx glanced at Harper and saw that her eyebrows were raised.

"You're not saying that Fred…I mean, he can't. It's Fred. Does he really… no. Me?" Onyx was finding this hard to believe.

"I'm not going to say anything because you know what I think about this stuff. It's all hormones and therefore unimportant. Plus, I'd hate to rat him out like this. It's just not nice." Harper gave Onyx a small smile. She could tell that Onyx had not thought of the situation this way before.

"But it's Fred!" Onyx said again for extra emphasis. "If anything he _hates_ me."

Harper just shrugged. "If that's what you think," she said in a voice that showed that she wanted to end the conversation. If Onyx really hadn't known then Harper shouldn't have said anything. It would probably make things awkward between Fred and Onyx because Onyx would of course try to act like she didn't know and then Fred would be confused as to why she was acting differently and then he would realize that she knew and then he would guess that Harper had been the one to tell Onyx and then he would be mad at Harper…

It was too much pressure. Harper couldn't take it. "Well, maybe you're right and I'm just jumping to conclusions," she told Onyx, who still seemed to be in shock. "Perhaps he doesn't, but he kind of acts that way."

Onyx was relieved to hear that Harper no longer thought that Fred… he just couldn't! "Well, maybe he is a bit flirty, but he's like that with everyone," she reasoned. "It doesn't mean that he… you know."

Harper decided to drop it. This was obviously upsetting Onyx for some reason and she didn't want Fred to get wind of the situation. "So, what do you want to do?" she asked her friend. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

Onyx was grateful for the change of subject. "Yes, I am. Do they have substantial food or just butterbeer and candy?"

Harper craned her neck to try and see over the crowds. "I see sandwiches, if that helps," she offered. "Oh. Is that cake? I have to have some cake."

And so they made their way over to the snack table and snatched some sandwiches and cake when they were called over by Harry and Ron.

"Where have you two been all night?" Ron asked. He had two empty bottles of butterbeer next to his chair and was in the midst of chugging down a third one.

"Over there," Harper pointed with somewhat difficulty; she had a sandwich and cake in her hands. "Why? Are you bored sitting here alone with Harry?"

"Yes, actually," Ron said. "Harry is a very boring person."

Harry made a face at Ron. "Well, you smell."

"Really? Like what?" Ron asked, sniffing his sleeve.

"Like…" Harry struggled for a minute and then gave up. "So, what were you two doing over there?" he asked Harper and Onyx instead, gesturing to where Harper said they had been before.

"Talking to Hermione," Harper said. "And then she left because she said she still had homework to finish."

Both Harry and Ron's faces showed shock. "She still had homework?" they asked in unison. "_Hermione?_"

Onyx nodded.

"Wow, she _never_ has homework on Saturdays," Ron remarked. "She always has it done by Friday night."

"I know, I was just as shocked as you were," Harper told him.

"Well, she always gets weird when these dance things come around," Ron muttered.

Harry remained silent. He still hadn't told Ron that he had asked Hermione to the Quidditch Ball. He was waiting for the right time, and the right time hadn't presented itself quite yet.

"Well, who are you going with, then?" Onyx asked Ron.

Ron looked suddenly looked sheepish. "I haven't gotten around to asking anybody yet," he admitted.

Harper chuckled. "You'd better hurry up, Ron. Almost every girl I know already has a date."

Ron gave her a condescending look. "Yeah well, you only know about ten other girls."

Harper raised her eyebrows at this challenge. "Are you counting yourself among them?" she asked mockingly.

Ron's face immediately fell while Harry and Onyx laughed.

"You just got burned, boy," Onyx told Ron as Harry almost choked on his cake he was laughing so hard.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Ron said to Harry, his ears began turning red. "I don't see you prancing about, singing that _you've _got a date."

This, of course, made Harry stop laughing at once. Because he did indeed have a date and he was getting the impression that Ron wouldn't be too happy to learn this right now, or who Harry had asked. Onyx, however, was still chortling.

"I think Ron would make a lovely girl," she was saying to Harper, who was beginning to regret the whole entire thing because Ron was clearly not amused. "All he needs is longer hair, some blush, a bit of lip gloss, and some eye shadow. I think green would work quite nicely, don't you?" Onyx went on, circling around Ron as if inspecting him.

"Okay, Nyx, come off it," Harper sighed. "Let's go torture somebody else. Lavender's looking a little lonely over there in that corner." Harper glanced at Ron, hoping that he would catch her drift. "All alone."

But Ron wasn't paying any attention to Harper and therefore completely oblivious to the fact that she was trying to get him a date for the Quidditch Ball. He sat back in his chair and chugged the rest of his butterbeer. Even Onyx was giving Harper an odd look, trying to figure out what she was getting at.

"So, did either of you two buy any fireworks?" Harry asked to break the awkward silence.

Before anybody could answer, Fred hurried over saying, "Is this an awkward silence I sense?"

"Yes, Fred, it's awkward," Onyx sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"I'm awkward!" Fred announced and then as quickly as he had come, he left.

"It's a wonder they make any money at all," Onyx mused. "Who would have imagined that _they_ would make brilliant businessmen?"

"Aren't you the one who's tutoring them?" Harry asked. "Wouldn't that make you the expert on their capabilities?"

"You'd think…" Harper muttered though nobody heard her. She looked up as a slow dance suddenly turned on.

"Oh, thank goodness those Twisted Sisters aren't on anymore," Ron sighed in relief. "They give me the most confounded headaches."

Onyx watched in amazement as Oliver started dancing with Angelina and other couples began pairing up. She quickly looked away as she caught Fred looking at her again. There was no way Harper was right about him. There was just no way…

"Where did you say Hermione went again?" Ron broke into Onyx's thoughts.

"What?" she asked, not really hearing him.

"She went up to the girls dormitory to 'finish her homework'," Harper supplied. "Why?" she asked curiously. She saw that Harry was looking rather uncomfortable.

"I'm going to go get some more butterbeer," he announced and jumped out of his chair before the others could acknowledge him.

"I was just wondering," Ron said, watching Harry disappear into the crowd. "Is it just me or is he acting a bit odd?"

"_Everybody's_ acting a bit odd," Harper said in exasperation. "It's this bloody dance, it has everyone dancing on their tiptoes."

Ron looked confused at this until Onyx explained, "It's a Muggle expression."

"Ah. You Muggles have the weirdest sayings," Ron said, shaking his head in wonder.

"Well, even I have never understood that one," Onyx admitted.

"And I don't understand why we're just sitting here!" Harper exclaimed. "Come on guys, let's go do something. I'm getting bored."

"Oh, are you bored sitting here alone with me?" Ron asked innocently.

Harper made a face at him for using her own line against her. "First of all, I'm not sitting. Second of all, Onyx is here so I'm not alone."

With a sigh, Ron picked up his empty butterbeer bottle and looked through the neck, just to make sure it really was empty. "Did Harry say he was getting some more butterbeer?" he asked. "Cuz I could really use a refill."

Onyx eyed him and sat in Harry's empty chair, tired of standing. "How many of those have you had?" she asked suspiciously.

"Three, four if he gets me another," Ron answered. "Hey, don't sit there, he's coming back!"

"I'll get up when he comes, don't worry," Onyx assured him.

"Oh come on, don't sit down, let's go do something," Harper pleaded, gesturing towards the crowd in the middle of the Common Room.

"Go do what?" Onyx asked. "Do you want to dance? Because it seems to me that all the dances now are slow and I don't really want to slow dance with you, Harper."

Ron started chuckling at the image that popped into his head and both girls ignored him, knowing perfectly well what he was imagining.

"Okay, fine, no dancing," Harper said, looking slightly defeated. "But we can do something else!" she said brightly.

"Like what?"

Harper looked around, desperate for there to be something to do aside from dancing. But the more she looked the more she had to admit that the only thing for them to do _was_ dancing. With a loud 'humph' she sat down on the arm of Onyx's chair and folded her arms across her chest, defeated at last.

"Well?" Ron probed. "Is there anything fun to do here beside dance the night away?"

"No," Harper spat, watching the ever-growing crowd of dancers with disdain.

"Well there goes _that _idea," Ron said, feigning disappointment. "What a heartbreak."

"Onyx, do you smell that?" Harper asked her friend, sniffing around in the air.

"Smell what?" Onyx asked, giving an experimental sniff while Ron glowered at Harper.

"It's smells like sarcasm," Harper said simply, looking at Ron.

"Oh ha ha, you're so clever," Ron retorted.

"Quite the contrary," came a voice from behind them. They all turned around to see the twins standing there, pockets bulging with what had to be Galleons, Knuts, and Sickles.

"She's not clever at all and just keeps stealing our jokes," George went on.

"Bad Harper!" Fred admonished sternly. "Very bad!"

"How much money have you made?" Onyx asked before a fight broke out, but she really needn't have worried; Harper was usually very good about people joking with her.

Fred looked at her and Onyx tried very hard to act normal. He couldn't know that she knew. No, wait; there was nothing to know. Right. So why was this suddenly awkward?

"Oh, far too much than we know what to do with," George answered, apparently unaware of the awkward moment. "In fact, I've been thinking of donating a part of it to a worthy charity. Don't you agree, Fred? Fred?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Charity."

George frowned. "Are you alright, Fred? Don't tell me all this money's gone to your head already."

Fred smiled. "No, of course not. I'm just trying to think of a charity that's worthy enough."

"Ah," George nodded in understanding. "You are correct, my partner in crime. I mean, business," he quickly corrected himself. "I can't think of a single charity worthy of our hard earned cash."

"Nor can I."

"Nor can I, so I say that we just keep it for our greedy selves."

"Agreed."

"Agreed?" George asked, holding out his hand.

"We have an accord," Fred answered, and they shook on it, making Harper shake her head.

"You two are nuts," she told them.

Fred beamed. "Why thank you, Harper, that means a lot, coming from you."

The others all sniggered, Ron making the most noise, causing Harper to do her best to ignore him once again. She turned to Fred saying,

"You are quite welcome. I do try to do my best to inflate those already ginormous egos of yours. Now if you don't mind," she said as the twins rendered speechless. "I'm going to go do something that does not involve sitting around at a party." And with that, Harper got up and marched away, and they watched her get swallowed by the still slow-dancing crowd.

"Our egos aren't already ginormous," George said to nobody in particular. He looked at Fred. "Are they?"

"Surely not. Otherwise we would be ginormous, too."

Ron grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure," he warned them. "I think she actually has a point. You two are rather egomaniacal."

Shock was echoed on both Fred and George's faces.

"You can't really believe that," Fred said.

George agreed. "She was only saying that because she's jealous, anyway."

Onyx raised her eyebrows. "Jealous?" she repeated blankly. "Of whom? _You_?" She gave a small laugh. "Why would she be jealous of you guys?"

Fred didn't even hesitate. "Why, because we're so good-looking of course." But he didn't get a chance to expound on his exceedingly prolific idea because right then more customers came to buy the twin's fireworks and dragged the two away, leaving Onyx alone with Ron.

"Well, this has been a jolly old time, hasn't it?" Ron asked, slumping back in his chair, looking bored again.

Onyx was busy looking for a glimpse of Harper in the crowd and couldn't catch sight of her. "Where do you think Harry and Harper went?"

Ron's eyes suddenly grew as wide as a house-elf's. "You don't think they're…I mean, they wouldn't. But, the dance…it's making people do crazy things, but even they wouldn't do anything…" He trailed off, still looking horrified.

It took a second for Onyx to understand what he was saying. Then it hit her. "Oh, no, Ron, why would you think that? They wouldn't go off and snog. She doesn't like him that way." Onyx paused. "I don't think."

"See?" Ron cried. "They _could_ be off doing something naughty."

Onyx looked at him, unable to believe that he would think such a thing. "Ron, you know Harry. He wouldn't do anything like that."

Ron didn't look convinced. "Well…Harper would."

At this Onyx laughed. "No she wouldn't! You know what she's like; she completely hates all this dance business. She wouldn't go off and start snogging Harry for no reason."

"Are you _sure_?" Ron asked her, looking sly.

"Yes, I am. Ron, be serious. I know Harper. And Harry."

"You _think_ you know them," Ron corrected.

Onyx had had enough. She figured that Ron was just bored and wanted something interesting to talk about, but this was hardly interesting and almost insulting. She got up out of her chair. "I'm going to go find Harper," she told Ron. "I'll see you later."

"Be careful," Ron warned. "You don't know what you'll find."

Rolling her eyes, Onyx walked away.

"Hey, if you see Harry, could you tell him I want another butterbeer?" Ron called after her.

Onyx made her way around the Common Room slowly, because it was so jam-packed with students celebrating Gryffindor's victory. She found Oliver standing in a corner, surrounding by a bunch of girls and seemingly enjoying it. She had to laugh. Oliver had really let his guard down tonight.

Fred and George were still dealing with the new onslaught of customers and finally Onyx found Harry, waiting in line for butterbeer next to Neville Longbottom.

"Hi guys," she greeted them.

"Onyx, that was an awesome game!" Neville started gushing. "I was just telling Harry that even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are celebrating!"

"Well, there was no way we were going to let Slytherin win, Neville," Onyx smiled. "Hey, have either of you seen Harper? She left a few minutes ago and hasn't come back yet."

Both boys shook their heads.

"Sorry," Harry said.

"Yeah, if I see her I'll tell her that you're looking for her," Neville added.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. "Oh, Harry," she said before she forgot. "Ron wants another butterbeer."

Harry grinned. "Thanks. I'm sure he couldn't survive without another one."

After another ten minutes of searching the Common Room, Onyx was forced to admit that Harper simply was not there. Getting rather worried at this point, she decided to head up to the girl's dormitory to search there.

Leaving the noises of the party behind her, she made her way up the stairwell to the room she and Harper shared with the other girls in their grade.

"Harper?" she called when she stepped inside.

"She's not in here," she heard Hermione say from her bed.

Onyx walked over and saw that Hermione was already under her covers. "How was your homework?" she asked.

Hermione bit her lip. "I didn't do homework," she admitted. "You guys were right, I had that done days ago."

"So what were you _really_ doing then?" Onyx wanted to know.

"Did you know that you and Harper ask the same questions?" Hermione wondered.

Onyx forgot all about Hermione and her alleged homework. "Wait, Harper was here? When? Where did she go?" she asked quickly. "Is she still here?" She whirled around, looking at Harper's bed and saw that it was still made.

"Yes, she came in about twenty minutes ago," Hermione said. "Why?"

"I can't find her anywhere," Onyx explained.

Hermione looked suddenly frightened. "You mean, she's not downstairs?" she asked.

"No, why?" Onyx was worried. "Do you know where she went?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well, not really. I mean, she said something about wanting to go think and mentioned a shower so I suggested that she take a bath instead because they work better."

"And?" Onyx probed.

"And that got us talking about the Prefects bathroom and somehow I told her the password, so she gathered her clothes and left." Hermione didn't look proud of herself in the least at having supplied Harper with a hiding spot and was even less happy that Harper was probably out after hours and was technically breaking school rules.

Onyx gave a groan and then turned to the door. "Well, I'll go get her then," she said with resignation.

"I can help you look for her," Hermione offered. "I'm the one who told her to go there. I'll feel so bad if she gets caught…" But Onyx shook her head.

"No, you're already in bed. I'll just look real quick. I'll see you later, Hermione. And thanks." But Onyx left the room, Hermione called to her.

"Don't you want to change first?" she asked. "You're still in you Quidditch robes."

Onyx looked down at herself and saw that what Hermione said was true. "Good idea. I'll see you." She quickly dashed up to her dorm and rummaged through her trunk and grabbed some suitable clothes. She wasted no time and changing, and after thanking Hermione again, she went back downstairs. The music was more upbeat now and everyone was dancing in one big pit. It took a few minutes to make her way to the portrait and then was practically shoved out the door by the throng.

It was much quieter in the hall. She could hardly hear or feel the thump of the music through the stonewalls. Trying to remember where exactly the Prefects bathroom was, Onyx quietly started on her way.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you thank you to AndTheSnakesStartToSing and FredMischiefmanagedGeorge for following our story and AndTheSnakesStartToSing and methecat for the favorites. A special thanks to AndTheSnakesStartToSing for the review! You are pretty amazing yourself! Carry on._

If Onyx had gone over to tell everyone else where she was going, she would have seen that somebody was missing. And she would have known that she was not the only one looking for Harper. But as it was, she didn't know.

And neither did Harper, but that doesn't really matter. She was done with her bath and had to admit that Hermione was right; baths did work better when you wanted to think. The Prefects bathroom was the nicest bathroom that Harper at seen all though Hogwarts and it almost made her sorry that she wasn't a Prefect. So now she had to sneak around to use this bathroom. And to get back to the Common room. She was very glad that she had thought ahead and brought clean clothes to change into because otherwise she would have been walking around the castle at night in a towel. And that just didn't seem very wise. And that would have been _really_ bad if she were caught. It would just make the thing all the more mortifying.

So she was walking up all the staircases, trying to get to Gryffindor tower as quickly as possible. It was dark and rather creepy looking. Harper hadn't believed in ghosts before she came to Hogwarts and the ghosts there were usually very friendly. And it wasn't like they could do anything to her. Well, Peeves could. But he wasn't really a ghost, so he didn't count. But even so, Harper had an active imagination and therefore she was wary of all the shadows. She kept imagining that Filch or worse, Snape, would come and catch her. This made her all the more thankful that she wasn't in a towel.

She occupied herself by trying to come up with a decent excuse as to why she was out at night. She settled on saying that she had had to use the bathroom. Hopefully she was near one when/if she got caught. And she would probably be caught quite soon; Harper wasn't the most coordinated of humans. She was actually quite clumsy and wasn't making her way through the castle very quietly. Whenever she told herself that she had to be more quiet, she tripped on the stone floor and made what to her seemed like an awful racket.

After one such trip where she fell and smacked her hand on the ground, she thought she heard voices from up ahead. Stricken with panic, for she recognized the voice as Filch's, she jumped to her feet and searched for a place to hide.

The only thing in the corridor was a single knight along the wall and there were no shadows behind him. There were several portraits, but they were all asleep at the moment. And there was no way she could get inside one, either way.

Harper heard Filch approach closer, talking to his cat.

"I'm sure we'll catch them, my sweet," he was saying. "They can't hide from us for very long."

Mrs. Norris gave a 'meow' in response and then they rounded the corner. Filch gave a start from seeing Harper just standing there.

"What're you doing?" he asked in shock.

"Going back to my Common room," Harper offered hopefully.

"Why are you just…standing there? You aren't even hiding!" Filch seemed almost disappointed.

Harper looked around the corridor once more. "Where is there to hide?"

Mrs. Norris glanced about the room, tail twitching.

"Well, why are you out of bed? It's after hours, you know the school rules," Filch said, over his shock and now elated at having caught a student out of bed.

"I had to go to the bathroom," Harper told him. She had been rehearsing this speech all the way up here and hoped it would suffice.

"The bathroom?" Filch looked confused.

"Yes," Harper said. "There aren't any bathrooms in our Common room, which quite the flaw in this castles design if you ask me. Because it forces those of us with minimally-sized bladders out at night when we know we shouldn't be out, but who can deny the call of nature?"

Filch stared at her.

"So you really can't blame me for being out right now," Harper went on. "Because it saves you from having to clean up a nasty mess upstairs."

It was so logical, so believable; it made so much sense…that Filch was speechless. "I…well," he sputtered, unable to think of what to say. "You're still out at night and student's aren't allowed."

"Oh, yes, I think they are," came a voice from behind Filch.

The caretaker and his cat whirled around to face the newcomer who turned out to be none other than George Weasley.

"There is a section in the Hogwarts Student Handbook that says, quite clearly, that students are allowed out at night if they must see a Professor for some emergency or if they are in need of the loo."

"You're kidding," Filch said.

"I kid you not," George answered, holding up a rather tattered looking book. "It is right here." He pointed to a spot on the page and, while Filch was reading, winked at Harper who stood there, gaping. Where had George come from and why was _he_ out at night?

"Are you quite satisfied now, Mr. Filch?" George asked in a dignified manner.

"I suppose so," Filch responded. "But I've never heard of Section 16 before. None of the Professors have mentioned it, and I've never heard Dumbledore talk about it."

But George just waved his hand dismissively. "It's a forgotten piece of history and I for one would like to take a moment to remember those who were wrongfully accused because this Section was unknown to them." George bowed his head and much to Harper's surprise, so did Filch. Harper decided to go along with it and no sooner did she bow her head then she heard George say,

"Well, that's quite enough time for that. Come along, Harper, let's get back to bed." He extended an arm for her but she didn't take it. She was rather miffed at the 'let's get back to bed' comment because she didn't like the implications of it.

"Good night, Mr. Filch," George said to the caretaker and Harper just had time to nod at Filch before George hurried her away.

"George, what was that?" she asked him in admiration. Because he _had_ just saved her, after all.

He didn't answer and started running as they heard Filch suddenly cry out, "Hey, wait, Weasley! What were _you_ doing out of bed?"

"Come on!" George grabbed Harper's hand and soon they were bolting through the halls, trying to hurry to Gryffindor tower. "He might have let you off, but I won't be so lucky."

"How did you get find that Section 16 thing?" she panted as they flew up yet another flight of stairs, leaping every other step.

"Save your breath," he advised.

"Aren't you a Quidditch player?" she asked him.

"Yes, but that doesn't really exert all that much energy. I just bat around some balls every once in awhile," he answered. "Now stop making me waste my breath!"

With a smile, she followed him up the final flight of stairs and finally they were standing in front of the Fat Lady. George was far more winded than Harper was. She about to give the password when she paused.

"George, why were you out of bed?" she asked. She had to know; otherwise it would drive her crazy.

"I came to get you," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." She looked at him. "Why?"

"Because Onyx was getting really worried about you," he told her. "Now would you stop questioning me? I feel like I'm on trial for misdeeds."

Harper, much to his surprise, grinned. "Oh, so _that's _why you came to get me. You wanted to impress her."

"What?" George looked at her like she was crazy for thinking such a thought. "No I didn't."

"You're just trying to get on her good side," Harper continued teasingly. "Because you're jealous of Cedric."

George reddened.

"I _knew_ it!" Harper cried out triumphantly. She did a little dance out of happiness. George, as embarrassed as he was, watched with interest.

"Now I see why you aren't going to the Quidditch Ball," he said earnestly. "You'd be booed off the dance floor."

Harper stopped and made a face at him. "I'm not going because I don't want to," she informed him for what felt like the fifteenth time.

"No, you just aren't going because nobody's asked you," he told her.

"I thought I wasn't going because I'd be booed off the dance floor," she said, looking confused.

"Oh, good one," George said appreciatively. "A few more like that and you'll be worthy to be seen with Fred and I."

"I'm always seen with you," Harper pointed out.

George's eyes widened. "You're seeing me?" he gasped. "Why did I not know this? Why did nobody bother to tell me? I've been wasting so much time with Fred when I could have been snogging you!"

"I wouldn't do that," Harper reminded him. She didn't know why, but this talk of snogging was making it kind of awkward. She half expected Fred to pop out any second.

"But deep down you want to," George told her. "Don't try to hide it, I can see your subconscious desires."

"It's a wonder you don't have a girlfriend," she sighed and after giving the Fat Lady the password, she quickly disappeared inside.

With a shrug, George stepped over the thresh-hold and into the Common room, which was almost unrecognizable now that the party was over. There were empty butterbeer bottles all over the place and crumbs on the floor. Harper was nowhere to be seen and only Harry and Fred remained, sitting by the fireplace. They looked up as George approached.

"Oi, mate, where in Merlin's name have you been?" Fred demanded. "I almost got mauled by those first years! They're vicious little blighters, I really could have used your help."

"Sorry," George apologized. "I had to go find Harper. Hey, is Onyx here?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah, she went up to bed half an hour ago," Harry said. "Why did you have to go find Harper? I thought Onyx was going after her."

"Well, she obviously failed at that, didn't she?" George smirked.

"How'd you find her?" Fred wanted to know. "Onyx's been looking all night."

George pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to Harry. "Sorry, mate, but I didn't have time to ask to use it so I just borrowed it."

Harry took back the Marauder's Map that the twins had bequeathed to him his third year. "Where'd you get it?" he asked, worried that he had dropped it somewhere.

"You're stuff," George said simply.

Harry stared. "You went into my stuff?"

"I only took that, I promise," George assured him. "Like I said, I would have asked, but I left in a hurry."

"So what did you two talk about on your way back?" Fred asked.

"Nothing really, we were running away from Filch," George explained. He told them about Section 16 and how they had to run when Filch realized that George, too, had been out of bed.

Fred and Harry laughed at Filch's dullness.

"Oh, bless him," Fred said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What would we do without good old Filch?"

"Did she mention Onyx?" Harry asked George.

"Why do you ask?" George asked nonchalantly.

"Because I have the feeling that she's come up with a reason why you kissed her that night."

Fred stared. "Wait, you kissed Harper on Saturday, too?" he asked his twin incredulously. "What do you think you're doing? You're going to ruin our reputation—"

"Relax, Fred," George said, holding up a hand as if to stop the barrage of accusations from Fred. "Our reputation is safe. Besides, why do you care if I kissed Harper or not?" he asked suspiciously.

"I don't," Fred told him. "But if you're fooling around with both of them, someone is going to get hurt."

"So?"

"So!" Fred repeated. "That's not right!"

Harry looked from one twin to the other. "I can't believe this: you two are arguing over a morality issue. This has to be a first."

"And a last." George stood up. "I'm not fooling around with either of them, Fred," he assured his twin. "Though I still don't see why you care so much." George paused. "Unless…you care for one of them." George looked at his twin, considering him.

Fred quickly looked at the fire raging in the fireplace. He really didn't want George to figure this out. What if _she_ found out?

"Okay, well I'm off to bed," Harry announced, breaking the silence. "Don't think too hard about it, George," he suggested as he left.

"Sound advice, Potter old pal," chimed Fred, leaping up from his seat and racing after Harry to the dormitories. This left George all alone in the Common room, trying to figure out which girl Fred liked.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note: **__Laura, thank you so much for your review! We are so happy you are enjoying the story thus far! We definitely enjoyed writing it. Sorry for the slight lapse in posting. We found a few things that needed to be reworked. Always in edit mode. Carry on._

The next day, Thursday, met the group of misfits at breakfast in the Great Hall. Harper and Onyx were there first, as usual, followed by the Golden Trio and then the twins and Ginny. Fred and George sat strategically across from Onyx and Harper, which Harper didn't fail to notice. She was a little upset with George for some reason, even though he had saved her life. But she seemed to have struck a nerve when she talked about him being jealous of Cedric (or the grades), which got her wondering what exactly he was up to. She hadn't bothered telling Onyx what had happened when she had arrived at their dormitory the night before because the former had been too worried about Harper to care about anything else. And so Harper sat there, buttering her toast, acutely aware that both of the twins kept throwing glances Onyx's way.

They're behavior was nearly impossible for her to interpret, as was Hermione's. Hermione had been very quiet all morning and Harper was worried that she really had struck a nerve the night before.

"You're going to butter the life out of that toast if you don't stop," a voice said to her, cutting into her thoughts.

"What?" Harper looked up to see George looking at her, a slightly bemused smile on his face. She then looked down at her piece of toast. "But there's hardly any butter on it!"

"Well you were buttering it as if it were an exact art," he told her.

"That would be fun art," Fred commented. "I'd love to see butter on muffins."

"Cornbread!" George exclaimed.

"What about cupcakes?" Fred asked.

"Cupcakes?" George repeated. "Who puts butter on cupcakes?"

Fred shrugged. "That's what makes it art."

"No, that's what makes it crazy," Onyx told them.

"Are you saying that artists are insane?" Fred accused her.

Onyx didn't even bother to answer this, knowing that he would blow anything she said out of proportion.

"So are you done with that butter or not?" George asked Harper.

"You didn't ask for it!" she exclaimed.

"I am now."

With a huff, Harper handed the butter plate to George and ate her toast in silence, still thinking.

Fred handed her a coin. "A Knut for your thoughts, O Wise One."

Harper handed the coin back. "Not right now."

"But we really want to know what you're thinking!" George told her.

"I'm thinking that we should hurry up so that we aren't late for Potions," Harper responded, shoving the rest of the toast into her mouth and gathering her bag. George stared at her.

"You have a big mouth," he said in awe.

"Thank you," she said after swallowing. She poked Onyx in the shoulder. "Come on, Nyx, hurry up."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. If you hadn't taken so long with the butter I'd be done by now," Onyx told her.

George sniggered.

"Why do you encourage them?" Harper groaned. "Now he's always going to make butter jokes with me."

"Oh, quit complaining," Onyx chided as she stood up and they walked out of the Great Hall. "You should be glad for the attention."

Harper at first had no idea what Onyx was talking about. "What?"

"You know," Onyx said meaningfully. "He's been teasing you more and more lately."

Harper scoffed as they hurried to their class. "He doesn't like me," she said. "Who in their right mind would like me?"

Onyx regarded her with a skeptical eye. "He's right handed," she pointed out. "And why would that be so hard to believe, if he likes you? You're a very likeable person, Harps."

"He just doesn't," Harper said. "Can we please talk about something else? Like homework or something?"

"Okay, we can talk about homework," Onyx agreed. "So how long have you been helping the twins while I'm gone? You know they aced the test you helped them study for, right?" They had reached the dungeons, but were waiting outside the door because they didn't want to go sit down in class if it was just going to be them and Snape. That would be suicidal.

Harper studied the stone floor. It was worn in the middle from generations of students marching to class. "I heard about that," she answered Onyx. "Neither of them bothered to tell _me_, though. I had to hear it from Ginny."

They both looked in the direction of the dungeon door as they heard some shuffling from the other side.

"Must be Snape and Geraldine," Onyx whispered, giggling at the idea. Harper smiled, because it was funny to think of Snape having a girlfriend. He was so incapable of love.

"What time is it?" she asked Onyx. Breakfast should have ended at about this time and at any moment the rest of their class would be making their way towards them, laughing and talking with each other per usual.

Onyx glanced at her watch. "Almost time. Everyone else should be here soon. But we still haven't been able to really discuss this situation."

"What situation? There's no situation! This whole thing is situation-less!" Harper cried out, wishing Onyx would just drop it already.

"Ssh!" Onyx hissed, hurriedly covering Harper's mouth with her hand. "He might hear you and know that we're out here and then we'll get in trouble!" She spoke the truth; if Snape caught them out here, he would probably give them both detentions, even though they weren't technically doing anything wrong.

Harper gave one of her famous 'humphs' and leaned against the stone wall, her arms folded across her chest in suppressed anger.

"What now?" Onyx asked, knowing all too well that something was indeed bothering her best friend. "You're heart isn't broken, is it?" she teased.

Harper's smile cracked into a small smile. "Over them not telling me that they actually aced something?" she chuckled. "Oh, it's most certainly flouted."

There was another noise from the other side of the classroom and both girls instinctively shuffled away from the door as if something sinister lurked behind it.

"I still can't believe they aced that test," Onyx mused, shaking her head in disbelief. "I think it was the first A they have ever received."

Harper turned to look at her, eyes wide with shock. "Are you having a laugh? That was really their first one?"

Nodding, Onyx said, "McGonagall was most impressed. She told me that she was really pleased with their progress and very proud of me but I couldn't take the credit for you."

Harper was touched. "You told her it was me?" she asked softly.

Onyx nodded again. "She wasn't exactly happy to find out that I had skipped out to go on a date, but she said she could sympathize with me for having to put up with those two for so long." She jumped as the classroom door suddenly opened to reveal Snape standing there, a cruel sneer on his pale ugly face. Harper tried to peer around him to catch sight of Geraldine but she couldn't see too far into the room from where she was.

"And what do you two think you are doing?" Snape asked them, looking from one to the other as if trying to detect any guilt on their faces. He, of course, found none because they really hadn't done anything wrong.

"Talking," Harper told him, giving up trying to find Geraldine. "We were just talking, Professor."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Must you come to class so early to gossip? Surely it can wait until evening when you have nothing better to do."

"We aren't _gossiping_," Onyx said heatedly. "We were just talking."

"Why weren't you at breakfast?" he demanded.

Onyx shrugged. "We were. We just left early to come down here."

"Because you love Potions so much?" Snape sneered again. "That obviously cannot be, if your grades are any indication."

At this Onyx flushed. She had good grades in every class, including Potions.

"Well, no need for you to gossip out here in the cold," Snape continued. "Come in and sit down." He stood aside and the girls had no choice but to enter the room and take a seat.

Snape likewise sat down at his desk and watched them, hands folded in front of him. Harper squirmed nervously in her chair. Snape was a very unnerving character and having him just watch them like that was creeping her out.

"By all means, continue your conversation," he told them. "I daresay that I'll find it fascinating, seeing as how you came down here for the privacy."

Onyx had been taking out her potions supplies and wasn't really paying much attention to him. Harper was running their options through her head when a loud commotion came from the hall. The rest of the class was finally shuffling through, much to Harper's relief. There was no way she was going to be continuing her conversation with Onyx in front of Snape. That would have been mortifying.

As soon as the class got settled (Fred and George were once again sitting next to Onyx and Harper), Snape stood up and began the class. All throughout the hour, the twins kept tossing beetles eyes at the girls. One landed in Onyx's simmering cauldron and made a loud pop as it hit the liquid inside. Snape took away ten house points, causing Onyx to make a point to ignore Fred and George for the rest of the class period. Harper, meanwhile, found herself having fun with George as they mimicked Snape.

"No, you use boomslang skin for the Insanity Potion, not daisy feathers," George sneered at her quietly, lest Snape actually hear them.

Harper had to smother a laugh as Snape passed two rows in front of them. "Daisy feathers?" she whispered.

"Yes, daisy feathers," George hissed back. "Twelve hundred points for not knowing what daisy feathers are!"

"I can't help it if I've never seen daisy feathers," she said defensively. "Porcupine feathers, maybe, but not daisy ones."

This time George laughed. "Porcupines can't have feathers," he scoffed, dropping his Snape act.

"Then how can chicken have teeth?" Harper challenged.

"What marvels me is how you have a brain," George said thoughtfully. He quickly ducked his head as Snape looked their way.

Harper looked at her potion in dismay. "It's purple, why is it purple?" She looked at the recipe again. "I've done everything right…"

"Did you add the daisy feathers?" George asked, peering over her shoulder to inspect the recipe.

Onyx glanced at them and Harper knew at once what she was thinking. Admittedly, this was unusual behavior on George's part, peering over her shoulder. But that didn't mean that he liked her. Nonetheless, she shoved him away.

"It didn't call for daisy feathers," she told him, nearly pushing him into his cauldron. "Oh, sorry!"

He stopped just short of tipping the thing but Snape glared at them regardless.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, sweeping over to them. "I would like to remind you that I do not appreciate it when you disrupt my class, Mr. Weasley."

Harper immediately felt bad. Now she had gotten George in trouble. "It wasn't his fault, Professor," she heard herself say.

Both Snape and George turned to look at her.

"Excuse me?" Snape asked in his cold, cruel way.

"Um…he wasn't disturbing your class," offered Harper lamely. "He tripped."

Fred peered around George, curious at the happenings. "Is she lying to him?" he whispered to his twin, but George quickly hushed him. Onyx, too, had looked up from her work, worried for Harper's safety. A drop hadn't even been spilled, but Snape was acting as though she had blown up the classroom. Or at least done something far, far worse than she had. Which was really nothing.

"Tripped." Snape repeated the word and then looked at George. "You simply…tripped?"

George didn't even hesitate. "Yes I bloody well did," he said brightly. "My bloody feet are too bloody big for my own bloody good."

Despite of the seriousness of the situation, Harper found herself having to smother a laugh. Onyx gave her a quick nudge to tell her to be quiet.

"Fine then," Snape was saying. "What did you trip on?" He had turned to Harper and it took her a few seconds to realize that the question had been aimed at her. The rest of the class was thankfully not paying any attention whatsoever to the happenings, otherwise Harper would have been far more embarrassed than she was. She was casting around for what George could have possibly tripped on. Her gaze fell on her bag.

"My bookbag," she told Snape before they got into more trouble. "It was sticking out and he tripped on it."

Snape considered her and she worried that he wouldn't buy it. Finally, he said, "Five points from Gryffindor for being a slob." He looked at her potion. "You need to add beetles eyes," he said with satisfaction. And with that he strode away, black robes billowing behind him in his wide gait.

Harper turned to the others, speechless. "What just happened?" she whispered.

"You just lost us five house points," Fred informed her, looking harsh. "Good job, mate."

She looked at him quizzically, trying to figure out if he was joking or not when Onyx poked her.

"Quit talking," she hissed. "You'll get into more trouble."

"Well, George was the one who fell on the cauldron!" Harper defended herself.

"Yes, and it's your bag that I tripped on," said George earnestly. "The thing just jumped in my way and wham, I fell."

Cracking a smile, Harper turned back to her potion and saw with dismay that it was still purple, as if in payment for the trouble it had just caused it would have fixed itself for her.

The rest of the hour was uneventful as all four of them were constantly being watched by Snape. The class couldn't have ended any sooner for the group and they were the first ones out the door as soon as class was over. Onyx tried to run ahead of the twins so that she and Harper could continue their conversation but the boys were tailing them.

"Why are you following us so closely?" she asked over her shoulder as she and Harper raced to the Divination tower.

They weren't quite sure why they were taking this class, but Harper oddly enough had quite the knack for it. She had always joked during their childhood that she possessed a 'sixth sense' because she would see or imagine things and then they would happen within the next few days. It happened most often when she dreamed, almost to the point of being eerie. When she received the letter from Hogwarts, she realized that she had the powers because she was a witch. But after talking to some of the other students and faculty, it became clear that not every witch or wizard was able to predict the future. So she and Onyx decided to take up Divination, just to see if she truly had the power. As of yet they couldn't tell because the whole subject seemed to be a load of bologna. Or perhaps it was just the way Professor Trelawney was teaching…

"Because," Fred answered. "You two are so fun to follow. Who knows what sort of trouble you'll get into next?"

Harper laughed as they sped up one of the many staircases they had to take to get to the tower. "But we're not the troublemakers," she reminded Fred. "That's your job."

"At least we aren't slobs," George countered back. "I make sure to put my book bag under my desk, not sprawled out on the floor."

Onyx looked back at him. "She only said that to save your behind," she told him.

"To save me?" he cried. "It was her fault to begin with! If she hadn't shoved me in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"He's right," Harper called down to them (she had always been quick on the staircases). "I only stuck up for him because I would have felt bad for making him take the blame. There's no way I could have lived with the guilt."

George stopped short. "Wait, you only did that so you wouldn't feel guilty?" He was, admittedly, shocked. That was a very unHarper-like thing for her to do.

She gave a nod and then started back up the stairs. Fred and Onyx followed her but George stood on the stairs for a minute in a stupor. At the top of the stairs Fred seemed to realize that something was missing. Turning around, he saw that it was his brother.

"George, come on! You aren't going to let them beat us, are you?" he asked.

Wondering what was wrong with himself, George made haste to follow the girls. They made it to the Divination tower in record time and therefore had choice seating. Professor Trelawney looked startled to see them run in like they did.

"Is there a fire?" she asked worriedly, looking at them through her bug-eyed glasses.

Fred grinned. "Surely if there was, you would have foreseen it, I'm sure," he said, sitting down next to George on a small pouf.

Trelawney looked a bit disgruntled. "Of course I foresaw it," she said grumpily. "I just don't like to flaunt my powers of the Eye."

Harper and Onyx looked at each other and giggled. It was just like Trelawney to do this. They really had no idea why she still had her job or how she had gotten it in the first place, but she was entertaining if nothing else.

Fortunately they didn't have to wait long for the rest of the class to come in because they trooped into the classroom only a few seconds later. Trelawney remained disgruntled for the entire class period and was even more eccentric than usual.

"No, do not open the window!" she cried when one student couldn't put up with the heat any longer and started to pry the window open. "You might let the spirits in!"

Harper covered her mouth so that nobody could hear her laughing. Onyx knew automatically what her friend was thinking; Harper's family enjoyed their libations.

"What spirits?" another student asked, sounding frightened. No matter that Hogwarts was chockfull of ghosts.

"The angry spirits!" Trelawney said dramatically, waving her arms to emphasize. She looked like an insect about to take flight. Next to the girls Fred and George were snickering. Trelawney looked at them. "Yes?"

Fred sat up, trying to straighten his face. "Yes well, aren't we supposed to be _contacting _the spirits?" he asked. Beside him, George nodded in agreement.

The disgruntled look fell upon Trelawney's face again. "Not the angry ones, though," she stammered. "Oh no, not them. Evil spirits are to be avoided." Some students looked wary.

"What evil spirits?" someone in the back asked curiously.

"No, don't call them that!" Trelawney cried, covering her ears with her hands to block him out. "You'll stir up dissent!"

The student looked at her blankly. "Stir what?"

"Your tea," Fred told him. "Stir your tea and then drink it so that you'll grow some brains."

Harper and Onyx burst out in laughter, earning them a stern glare from Professor Trelawney, who assigned a paper on angry spirits due the next day.

"Tomorrow?" George complained as they went back downstairs as soon as class was over. "How in the name of Merlin am I supposed to have this done by tomorrow?"

"By finishing it tonight," Onyx suggested. "That can be our session, I'll help you with your paper."

"Can we just copy off yours?" Fred asked hopefully.

"Yes, it will certainly be better than ours will, even if you do help us," George added.

"No, you can't copy off of mine!" Onyx cried, appalled that they would even think it. "You have to do it yourself! How else are you going to learn?"

"Even I don't see what we're supposed to be learning with this paper," Harper admitted. "She just wants us to write why calling them evil stirs up dissent. Even though she herself called them 'evil' in the first place. I guess it really just has to do with respect."

"Respect for what?" George scoffed. "They've been dead for centuries, times have changed. They need to get with the program."

Fred and Harper laughed at this while Onyx tried to argue that it wasn't nice calling them 'evil' if they were just angry.

"In that case it's not nice calling Malfoy a 'git' if he just acts like one," Fred said reasonably. "I might be hurting his feelings. If he's even got any."

Onyx had to laugh at that.

"Oh, he has feelings all right," Harper was saying. "He's positively infatuated with Onyx."

That stopped Onyx. "Stop saying that, it's too horrible to bear!" she said, shuddering. "It's not fair!" she pouted. "Why does he have to like me? Why can't he like you?" she asked Harper.

"Me?"

"Yes, you," said Onyx. "That'd make everything so much easier."

"Why are you so obsessed with marrying me off?" Harper cried as the four of them reached the foot of the stairs. "And what makes you think that Malfoy would like me? He didn't even know me when we ran into him that one time!"

"Ha, I was right!" George said triumphantly. "Wait, did you say that she's trying to marry you off?" he asked Harper suddenly. "I can't have that."

Harper pointedly avoided looking at Onyx right then, because she was sure that Onyx had glanced at her, eyebrows raised in a told-you-so kind of way. And she was right.

"Why not?" Onyx asked casually. "How does that affect you?" They were now walking down the hall towards their next class.

"It doesn't," Fred answered for his twin. "Frankly, I doubt that Harper will ever get married, she's so ugly."

Onyx's jaw dropped while Harper just waved off the remark. She was used to it by now and quite frankly, she was glad that she wasn't classified as 'hot'. It meant that boys didn't bother her like they bothered Onyx.

"Fred, how dare you say that!" Onyx scolded. "Harper's not ugly!"

"Yes she is," George said with a smirk. "And right bloody ugly if you ask me."

"And me," Fred added.

Onyx was furious. "Both of you need to apologize right now! That was just plain mean! She's not ugly and you know it!"

The twins looked Harper over as she shook her head at the nonsense and walked ahead of them. She hated this kind of thing; it just made everything so awkward.

"No, I'm not seeing it," George announced. "She still looks ugly."

"Right bloody ugly," Fred corrected.

Still furious, Onyx marched ahead of them and grabbed Harper's arm, pulling her into a power walk down the hall.

"Nyx, what're you doing?" Harper asked as she began tripping on the stone floor. "I'm going to stub a toe!"

"We're going to get as far away as those two as possible," Onyx answered, not letting up her pace.

Harper followed obediently to History of Magic. The door was, oddly enough, closed so the girls had to wait outside. Onyx leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest. "I can't believe those two," she was muttering. "Calling you ugly like that…" She turned to Harper as her companion leaned up next to her. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Harper gave a noncommittal shrug. "Not in the way you would think," she admitted. "I can take the teasing, no problem. I just let it roll off my back like a duck." She hesitated. She didn't really want to admit this, but… "What bothers me is that it's _only_ teasing. I don't want them to like me," she hastened to add, knowing all too well that Onyx was going to think just that. "Just in general. All the guys like you, but none of them like me. Which is fine, because I don't want a boyfriend, but it would be nice just to know that someone at least likes me."

She looked at Onyx, wondering what she thought of all this and was shocked to see her grinning.

"You're not so different after all!" she said gleefully. "You _do_ have hormones!" She started jumping around, singing, "Harper wants a boyfriend, Harper wants a boyfriend."

Mortified, because it wasn't true—it wasn't—Harper tried shushing her friend, especially since the twins had caught up and were walking down the hall towards them.

"Onyx, stop singing!" Harper pleaded as Onyx continued her number. "I don't want a boyfriend!"

"What's this about Harper getting a boyfriend?" Fred asked, approaching the girls. "Why, that's nigh impossible. Don't you agree, George?"

George gave an official-looking nod. "Nobody would be crazy enough to date Harper. He'd have to be a certified loon."

Onyx stopped singing. "Stop putting her down like that!" she told the twins sternly while they started snickering. Before she had a chance to ask them what was so funny, George said,

"We haven't been putting her down anywhere."

Fred positively guffawed at this. Onyx and Harper watched as the twins laughed hysterically at the notion. Onyx was outraged, because this was by far the worst thing the twins had ever said, in her opinion.

"Putting her down," Fred gasped, now rolling on the floor. "Subconscious desires…"

"Oh please," Harper said, standing over them, arms folded across her chest (she does that a lot). "I am not anyone's subconscious desire."

"You're George's," Fred managed, still laughing uncontrollably.

"Liar!" George croaked. "Pretty Boy wants her."

"Ugly McFugly!" Fred cried and then they both fell back once more, laughing at Cedric.

Harper felt her cheeks starting to burn for some unknown reason as the twins continued to laugh at her expense. "Guys, it's not that funny. Pretty Boy—I mean, Cedric likes Onyx, not me!" she stated.

Onyx nodded in agreement, angrier still that the twins were insinuating that Cedric didn't like her after all. Because he obviously did.

"He doesn't like either of you," Fred said, gasping for breath as he tried to sit up.

"No, he does not. I heard him say so himself," George added. "He has this thing for someone else."

Onyx was fuming. "You boys are treading dangerous waters right now," she warned them in a quiet voice.

"We ain't treading nobody's waters," Fred assured her. "Just statin' them truths."

Onyx glared at him. "You're lying. Cedric _does_ like me and you'd better not go around spreading lies like that!"

George sat up straight and looked at Onyx with wide eyes. "Are you accusing me of lying?" he asked, acting hurt.

But Onyx never had a chance to answer, thankfully for George, because just then Professor Binns glided towards them, apologizing for making them wait outside. No sooner did he let them in the classroom did the rest of the class begin to shuffle in and therefore Fred and George were unable to taunt the girls any longer.

Class was long and boring, even for Harper who as we know, loved the subject. Onyx was positively miserable and had the worst case of the fidgets that Harper had ever seen. Neither of them were paying much attention to Professor Binns because they both had so much on their minds. Onyx was preoccupied with thoughts of Cedric and that night and Harper was thinking about what the twins had said earlier. She knew she wasn't ugly, but they were picking on her more and more lately…

Finally, class was over. Professor Binns had barely said the words, "Have a good day," before Onyx had grabbed Harper's arm and ran out of the room with her.

"Onyx, why do we keep running?" Harper demanded, tired of the bustle of the day.

"So we can get away from the twins and have an actual conversation without getting interrupted," Onyx told her.

"Yes, but we've been running all day," Harper commented. "I just don't get why."

"Because the twins keep stalking us!" exclaimed Onyx with a sigh. "I just want to talk one on one with you and they're always here. It's even more annoying when I want to talk about _them_."

They had reached the Great Hall and hurriedly sat down before anyone else joined them.

"Why do you want to talk about them?" Harper asked dramatically. "We've been talking about them as much as we've been running. I'm kind of tired of it."

"Why are you tired of it?" Onyx asked with the most incredulous look on her face. "We've hardly had a chance to really talk all day!"

Harper started serving herself some of the soup that had appeared in the tureens on the large wooden table. "That's fine with me. There really isn't anything to talk about. Nothing interesting is going with me, it's all with you. I mean, you're going out with Cedric! That is so unbelievably unbelievable!"

A sly grin appeared on Onyx's face. "Well, that's true," she admitted. "He is pretty unbelievable."

"That he is," Harper allowed. "So we should talk about him instead and not whatever it is that is going on with the twins." She took a bite of her soup and almost spat it back out as George suddenly poked her from behind. "George!" she cried out, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "Whaddja go do that for?"

George gave a noncommittal shrug as he sat down next to her. "I thought it'd be funny."

"You just wasted all that soup!" she told him angrily, now wiping off the table.

He gave a chuckle, laughing at how she was angry over the waste of food rather than at the fact that he had just poked her.

"And of course he laughs," she muttered, still wiping the table as Onyx began helping her. "Onyx was right, you _are_ around us all the time. Don't you ever get tired of bothering us?"

"Come now," he said calmly, serving himself some soup, funnily enough. "I'll never get tired of you."

Harper, her mind still distracted by the cleaning of the soup, didn't really hear what he was saying and therefore did not get upset by it. She wasn't necessarily prone to notice the obvious. But Onyx, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows.

"Never?" she asked suspiciously. "That's a fairly large word, George."

He glanced at her, willing her not to say anything else. He was being blatant but hopefully she was just teasing about knowing. Not that there was really anything to know. He was just teasing after all.

"Actually, it's only five letters if you bother to count," Fred jumped in, sitting down across from Onyx. He gave a frown. "George, what are you doing all the way over there?"

"Poking me and making me spit out my soup," grumbled Harper, finally finished with cleaning up the mess.

"So you've been busy," Fred commented with a satisfied grin. "I'm so proud. You've been raised right."

Onyx gave a snort and had to cover her mouth with her hand to smother it. Fred looked at her with a bemused look on his face.

"It wasn't that funny," he told her.

"Nothing you say is ever funny," George said. "They just laugh at the most random things. Don't take it personally."

Fred started rubbing his eyes. "I don't want to go to the rest of my classes," he grumbled. "I'm so sick of school."

"Well, think of it this way," Harper stated as Ron, Harry and Hermione sat down near them. "The day is half over. We only have three classes left today."

He looked at her incredulously. "_Only_?" he repeated. "Only have three classes left? Do you know how much of a waste of time that's going to be?"

"School isn't a waste of time!" Hermione said in a horrified voice. "Fred, how dare you say such a thing!"

"Oh I dare alright," Fred continued ominously with such seriousness that Harper gave a small chuckle.

"See? Told you," George nudged his brother. "They'll laugh at _anything_."

"I'll choose to ignore that and pretend that you never said it," Onyx told him, helping herself to some food.

"And we'll choose to ignore that you just said _that_," George shot back, his mouth full of potatoes. And then they all started stuffing their faces. The rest of the day was quite uneventful. Onyx decided to stop trying to talk to Harper about the twins, Harper decided to try and ignore everything that was going around her and the twins kept following them around. Finally, after their last class (astronomy) the girls tiredly made their way to the common room.

"I think I agree with what Fred said earlier," Harper huffed on the final staircase. "I'm sick of school."

The Fat Lady was only steps away but neither girl was sure she could make it. Onyx just collapsed in the middle of the stairwell. Harper took the cue and plopped down next to her.

"Are you going out with Cedric anytime soon?" she asked suddenly, no longer in her tired tone.

Onyx looked up in mild surprise at the randomness of the question. "I don't think so. Why?"

Harper gave a shrug. "I was just wondering. It just seems like you haven't been hanging out with him very much."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, for a couple, you really don't spend much time with him," Harper went on. "For selfish reasons I'm glad but at the same time I think it's…well, a little odd."

"Oh." Onyx sat back, never having thought of this before. "I actually haven't seen very much of him lately, now that you mention it. Maybe I'll go find him so we can hang out," she decided, standing up.

"Good idea," Harper concurred, following suit. "And I'll get started on Trelawny's essay." She made a face. "Angry spirits. If she keeps this up she'll have a classroom full of angry spirits."

Laughing, Onyx made her way back down the stairs to go find her boyfriend.


	15. Chapter 15

It didn't take very long for Onyx to run into him. In fact, that is exactly what she did, quite literally. Rushing down the stairs in her excitement, she nearly bowled the poor boy over.

"Cedric!" she cried in horror as he struggled to retain his balance. She reached out to grab his hand so that he wouldn't fall backwards down the stairwell. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!"

"You seem to have a knack for running into me all the time," he teased, leaning against the railing. "Where were you going off to in such a hurry?"

"Oh, well, I was going to find you," she told him.

"Well, you found me," he grinned at her. "What did you want?"

Onyx faltered for a moment. She had rushed down here in such a hurry that she hadn't given much thought to what she would do once she got to Cedric. "To see you?" she offered.

Cedric laughed. "That's a good enough answer, I suppose," he allowed.

"What would be a better answer?" she asked him.

He pretended to think for a minute. "I honestly don't know."

They stood there awkwardly.

"Are you busy?" she asked.

"No."

"Oh." Onyx bit her lip. "How about we… go to Hogsmeade," she suddenly suggested brightly.

Cedric perked up. "You know, that new bookstore just opened. Have you been there yet?"

Onyx shook her head, excited to have finally found something that they could do.

"Let me go change out of my class robes and then I'll meet you in the Great Hall," Cedric suggested.

"Ok!" And with that, Onyx ran back up the stairs as quickly as she had run down. Harper looked up as Onyx burst back into the common room.

"Didn't find him?" she asked sympathetically.

Onyx shook her head. "We're going to the new bookstore in Hogsmeade. I'm going up to change."

"Oh. Cool," Harper said. "Hey, actually, could you pick up that poetry book I've been wanting while you're there?"

"For sure," Onyx said as she ran up the stairs. A few moments later she ran back down wearing a completely different outfit. "On second thought," she began. "Why don't you come with us?"

Harper blinked. "Come on your date?"

Onyx nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"Because it's a _date_," Harper emphasized. "Only you two."

"I really don't think Ced would mind," Onyx offered. "He's a very understanding individual."

"Oh yes, I'm certain he'd be very understanding about having a romantic date being invaded by his girlfriend's annoying friend," Harper scoffed. "No, you just go ahead and be alone with him. Just don't give me any details."

"Harper!" Onyx was horrified.

"I'm teasing!" her friend assured her. "Would you leave already? I'm sure he's wondering where you are."

This thought had not occurred to Onyx quite yet. "Ah, you're right," she said, sounding none too pleased at the prospect.

Harper cocked an eyebrow. "Do you not _want_ to go out with him?" she asked confusedly.

"No, I do," Onyx assured her. "I just… should probably get going. I'll see you later, Harps." Onyx hurried out the portrait door before Harper could question her any further. The way back down was rather slow for once and it felt as though the trip had taken her twenty minutes. She wasn't quite sure why she had asked Harper to come along with her. It was as if the words had slipped out unintentionally. The curious thing was she had no idea _why_ it had slipped out. She loved being alone with Cedric. She was looking forward to going out with him, she really was. It's not like she had any qualms about it all. She just… couldn't explain it. Something just suddenly felt off.

"Onyx!"

She jerked her head up in shock as Cedric peered into her face. "Are you awake?" he asked her with a crooked smile.

"You startled me," she said, realizing that they weren't in the Great Hall, they were standing on the main staircase. "Sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts."

"I was starting to get worried," he told her. "I thought you had died or that Malfoy had gotten you."

"Aw," she said, giving him a kiss. "How sweet of you to care."

"Anytime." He gave her another crooked smile. "So shall we go?"

No sooner were they on their way down the rest of the staircase when a small third year shyly stepped up to them.

"Um, Onyx?" he asked hesitantly, as if unsure whether he would be a bother or not.

She looked at him, trying to figure out if she knew him or not. "Yes?"

"Can I have your autograph?" the boy blurted out, holding out a quill and piece of parchment in a hopeful manner.

Onyx was taken aback. "My what?"

"You're the best chaser in a century," the boy said as a matter of factly. "Or even longer. And you're really pretty," he added.

Onyx felt Cedric wrap his arm protectively around her waist and stiffen next to her, making her want to laugh.

"Hey now," Cedric told the third year. "No need to hit on her."

"Ced!" Onyx exclaimed. "He's just a third year, no need to get your wand in a knot." She took the boy's parchment and quill. "What's your name?" she asked him.

The young boy looked elated. "Just make it out to your number one fan," he instructed.

Hiding a smile, Onyx signed the parchment and handed it back to him. "There you go."

He grinned as he took it back from her. "By the way, how is your back?"

Onyx chuckled. She had completely forgotten that she had been injured in the game the day before. "It's fine, thank you."

"Good, we want you to be able to play next year!" he told her and with a final thank-you dashed away.

"Does that happen often?" Cedric asked her, removing his arm as they continued on their way.

Onyx rolled her eyes. "Far more than you would imagine. Just yesterday somebody asked me to sign their chest."

Cedric gaped at her. "You didn't really, did you?"

"It was only Fred," she told him. "No need for worry."

"Are you serious? You actually signed his chest?" He almost tripped on the stairs in his shock.

"It could have been worse," she informed him.

"How?" he asked in a tone that said he wouldn't believe it.

"It could have been Malfoy."

Cedric hesitated as he mulled this point over. "That is true," he admitted.

"Ced, are you jealous?" she accused. "I'll sign your chest if you really want me to. I have no problem with that."

"You silly, delusional girl."

Laughing, Onyx ran down the rest of the steps and flew out the main doors out into,

"Snow!" she cried out in exhilaration.

"I'm assuming that you hate snow," Cedric commented dryly as he joined her outside.

"Oh yes, winter is my least favorite season of them all," Onyx said, looking up and trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

"I actually don't like it that much," he told her. "I've never been a big fan of the cold."

"Are you serious?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You hate winter?"

He started down the path towards the tiny city. "I don't hate it, persay, but I prefer the warmth of summer."

"Summer is dull," Onyx stated, following him.

"There's lots to do in summer."

"Not Quidditch," she sang.

Cedric grinned. "That I have to agree with."

"And you can't see me in the summer," she teased him.

Cedric blinked. "Wow, that's a _very_ good point."

She side-glanced at him. The way he said it sounded rather sarcastic. And if it was sarcastic that meant that he didn't _want _to see her in the summer which meant that they might not be dating in the summer which meant that they would break up sometime before summer which meant that he might not like her as much as she originally thought.

"Are you alright?" he asked, noting her silence.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly. But that was a lie. She was thinking again, like she had on the stairwell.

They walked the rest of the way in a collective silence. Cedric, having been to the bookstore before, lead the way and held the door open for her to walk in first. She thanked him and then a sign that said, "Poetry" in the corner of the shop caught her eye. She made her way over.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Poetry," she said, scanning the shelves for a familiar name. "Ah, here we go." She grabbed a book and opened the front cover and glanced at the table of contents.

"Who is that?" Cedric asked, intrigued.

"Robert Frost," she answered.

"Who?"

"He's a Muggle poet from America," she explained.

"An American Muggle?"

"America is full of a lot of Muggles," she smiled. "But I really like his poems."

"Do you now," Cedric asked interestedly. "And which one would you say is your favorite?"

"Fire and Ice."

"Can I read it?"

She held the book out for him and pointed to the poem. He read it aloud.

"Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice."

He paused as he let it sink in. "I like it."

Onyx smiled. She had a convert. "Do you really? You're not just saying that to make me smile?"

"No, but that is a plus. But in all seriousness, I do like it."

"Well good. And now to find that book that Harper wanted."

"What book does she want? And why are you getting her a book?" Cedric asked her.

"It's payment for making her go dress shopping with me. I owe her one you could say."

Cedric's face fell. "I still want to see that dress."

"You'll see it tomorrow!"

"Yes but it won't be a private viewing," he whined.

"You silly, delusional boy," she mocked. "I ought to smack you!"

"You can smack me with your lips if you'd like," he said smoothly.

"Oh, that was _very _smooth, Cedric," she jokingly affirmed.

He pretended to pout. "I think I may need some ice for that fire."

"Ha ha, how funny. I'm beginning to think that Fred and George have a bad influence on you."

"I take offense to that!" Cedric said defensively. There was a small sofa in the nook of the poetry section and he sat down on it in a huff, pretending to be insulted.

Much to his surprise, Onyx burst into laughter, bracing herself against the bookcase. "Cedric, you are a terrible actor!"

"Thank you for being such a supportive girlfriend," he shot back, grabbing her purse and pulling her towards him by it.

"I'm sorry," she simpered, sitting on his lap. "I'm new at this."

"You're not a bad girlfriend," he assured her. "You're a fast learner."

"Oh, am I now?" she asked. "Then teach me something new, o great Professor of mine."

"My pleasure," he said, going for her neck. "I'm glad you're not wearing a turtleneck this time."

"Apparently I'm a fast learner." She winked at him.

He stopped because he was laughing too hard to kiss her. The moment didn't last long because somebody else came into their section and gave them a weird look. Onyx quickly found the book for Harper, made her purchase, and they left the store.

"So what do we do now?" she asked him.

"I'm cold," he said flatly.

"I can help with that," she told him and promptly took his hand. He looked down at their entwined hands.

"Much better," he confirmed. "Oh, that reminds me. There's a certain rumor floating about the school."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Apparently, we are the school's cutest couple," he told her, kissing the back of her hand.

"Really? Us? I haven't heard that."

"Clearly you are unfamiliar with the prefect's bathroom circle of gossip," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Enough of the PDA already!" a familiar voice rang out through the snowy evening.

"George," Cedric and Onyx looked at each other and said in unison.

The words had barely left their mouths when suddenly George's head appeared in between them.

"So, I was thinking," he began. "I don't like how cute you two are together."

"Funny," Cedric said in a tone that hinted that he was not amused at all. "We were just talking about how the entire school thinks we are the cutest couple."

"Well, Cedric, I don't know how to put this delicately but, dude, I don't like you like that," George admitted.

Cedric laughed as Onyx rolled her eyes at George's foolishness.

"But really Cedric, other people lie. Quite frankly your cuteness makes me quite jealous."

Onyx didn't quite know how to take that.

"I'm awkward!" Fred screamed out from nowhere. Suddenly Onyx felt an arm around her waist; it was Fred's.

"Guys, what are you doing?" she asked in horror. One's arm was around her shoulders and the other's was around her waist. And neither of the arms belonged to her boyfriend. Awkward.

Cedric was just as weirded out as Onyx was. He craned his neck to catch her eye but George leaned in too.

"This is what we like to call "Couple's Quarantine"," he told them. "No touching whatsoever."

Onyx and Cedric, as if reading each other's thoughts, both stuck out their feet and tripped George so that he face planted in the snow. Immediately the couple started running. Cedric dashed behind a large tree and Onyx was quick to join him.

"I don't think we lost them," she whispered.

"Then we'd better be prepared," he answered, bending over.

"What are you doing?" she asked in utter confusion.

He stood back up, holding two snowballs in his hands. "Ammo."

"I like you," she told him, making two snowballs of her own. "I just might keep you."

"Assuming we survive, of course."

"Cedric, quick, kiss me before the onslaught!" she said dramatically, resting the back of her hand on her forehead for added effect.

"You don't have to tell me twice, fair maiden," he said, complying.

It was then that they got ambushed.

"No touching!" George yelled. "Bad couple! Very bad! No desert for you!"

"I don't need any desert," Cedric said, wiping the snow off of his face and grinning at Onyx.

"Oh snap!" Fred said appreciatively.

"Attack!" George bellowed and soon Cedric and Onyx were running for their dear lives. As they were running, they occasionally stopped to retaliate back at the twins. Cedric hit them quite a few times, where as they were too quick for Onyx.

"That didn't work out as planned," Cedric admitted, taking cover behind another tree.

"Oh really, I could hardly tell," Onyx said, standing next to him. "You seem to have everything under control."

"Stop talking, more snowballs!" he instructed, keeping a watchful eye out for the twins. He glanced at his watch and then yelped.

"What?" Onyx asked in concern.

"I have to go!" he said apologetically.

"WHAT? You can't leave me! I'm a sitting duck without you! I have no aim!" she pleaded.

"I'm so sorry!" He truly looked it. "But I told someone that I would help them write this paper…"

"Fine, then go. Leave me to die on my own. Oh, this world is so cruel!" Onyx said dramatically.

He gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Be safe!" she called out as he handed her a few snowballs and dashed away. "Watch your back!"

"Fred, he's abandoning the cause!" George yelled in triumph.

"Go after the straggler!" Fred instructed. "Hunt him down like the dog he is!"

"You're mine, Pretty Boy!" George taunted, chasing after Cedric with a vengeance.

Onyx watched him run past her and decided to stay still because Fred was still out there somewhere, waiting to nail her with a snowball. Sure enough, she heard him call out her name.

"Onyx," he called out in a sing-song voice. "Come out and say hi. Pretty Boy's not here to get jealous."

She scoffed. Cedric really was not the jealous type and Fred knew it.

"Aw come on, Onyx. It's not like it's gonna hurt."

"What are you _talking_ about?" she burst out in spite of herself.

Silence.

She glanced around, expecting him to attack at any second.

"What did you think I was talking about?"

She gave a small scream as she whirled around to face him. "Don't do that to me!"

"I haven't done anything to you… yet."

She took off running, because he was armed with snowballs and she was not; she had dropped hers when he had scared her. Sure enough, she felt two strikes to her back. She fell to the ground and hastily made a snowball while Fred ran over to her.

"Ha ha, I win," he gloated. He offered a hand to help her up, rather uncharacteristically, and instead she shoved the snowball in his face.

"Not fair!" he cried as she scrambled to her feet and ran off once more. Next thing she knew she was being tackled to the ground.

"Fred!" she yelled. "No tackling!"

"Too late," he said simply.

"Get off me," she ordered. She tried to get on her back so that she could shove him off. She realized how close his face was to hers.

"Hi," he greeted her.

"Hi," she said slowly.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked conversationally. "You know, we never get to talk anymore. I miss it."

"I do too, actually," she admitted. "You guys make my life so much more fun."

"I knew it! Pretty Boy is no fun at all, is he? Oh, who called it? I did, I called it."

"I never said that! Stop putting words in my mouth!" she demanded.

"Stop letting Pretty Boy put his tongue in your mouth!" he shot back.

Onyx gasped. And then smacked Fred. "He can put his tongue where ever he wants!"

Fred blinked. "What?"

"That came out completely wrong," Onyx hastened to cover her slip.

"I was going to say, no wonder he likes that closet so much," Fred grinned. But there was something missing in his smile.

"Fred, get off me," she said, suddenly aware that he was still on top of her.

"What is going on here?!" George asked harshly, walking up to them. "I'm gone for five minutes and now you're all over each other."

Fred and Onyx looked at each other and burst out laughing. He quickly jumped up and pulled Onyx to her feet. "I was merely getting her to surrender," Fred informed his twin.

George gave him an appraising look. "Surrender what? Her love for Pretty Boy?"

Onyx scoffed. "Never!"

"Never say never," George sang out. "You never know, he may break your heart yet."

Onyx quickly scooped up some snow and tossed it in his face. "He will not, George Weasley. He's better than that."

"For now," George muttered, wiping the snow off of his cheek.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he sighed. "I'm just merely mourning the death of our snowball fight."

"Oh."

"Let's head back up to the common room," Fred decided. "Onward!"

Onyx took advantage of having him in front and threw another snowball at his back. He whirled around, a surprised look in his eyes.

"Why Onyx, I thought you surrendered," he mocked.

"I did no such thing," she said defiantly.

"Well in that case…" Fred glanced at George and before she knew it, Onyx was hit with a barrage of ballistic snowballs.

"I surrender!" she cried, raising her arms to protect her face. "It's not fair, there's two of you and only one of me!"

"Yes, that has been quite an issue of late," George said darkly.

She lowered her arms cautiously, trying to decide if he meant anything else by that or not. "Are you done trying to kill me?" she asked crossly.

"We would never try to kill you," Fred told her lightly, beginning to traipse back to the castle. "George would miss you too much."

George shot his twin a bemused look. "I'm not so sure about that."

"You wouldn't miss me?" Onyx asked teasingly.

George shook his head. "No, because if you were dead we would have no Professor to torture us each evening."

"Snape would still be around, I'm sure," she pointed out.

He grinned. "Good point. Perhaps we should kill him instead, Fred."

"Kill Snape?" Fred looked thoughtful, as if weighing their options. "I'm not sure, I think even Snape would be missed more than Onyx."

Onyx's jaw dropped. Snape was perhaps _the_ most hated person in Hogwarts and really would only be missed by the Slytherins. "I resent that."

"Resent it all you wish. You can't deny that it's true, though," George told her.

Onyx wanted to reach down and make a quick snowball to lob at him but knew that the twins would just defeat her again. Instead she just marched ahead, arms folded across her chest.

"Well don't you just look so tough," Fred mocked her.

She pointedly ignored this and marched on until she reached the castle's front steps. Only then did she turn around to wait for them, and then stopped. The twins were nowhere to be found.

"Fred? George?" she called out into the snow.

She was answered by two snowballs to her face, followed by two more and a bunch of snickering.

"_Guys_!" she yelled. "That wasn't nice!"

She saw Fred's red head pop out from the railing of the stairs. "Yes, but it _was_ hilarious," he said, coming out from hiding.

"And you know you'll forgive us," she heard George say from behind her. "You always do."

"Thanks for taking advantage," she muttered under her breath, brushing all the snow off of herself as she made her way inside.

Fred grinned. "Oh come now, you know we'd never take advantage of you, Onyx."

She glared at him and then turned back to brushing all of the cold snow away. She was all wet now, and being wet in this sort of weather meant getting cold as well so she was eager to change into warmer clothes. She got to the common room in record time, this time really not caring if she left the twins behind or not. So cold was she that she didn't even return Harper's eager hello until she was had changed into sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt and wrapped in a blanket.

"So are you upset or just really cold?" Harper asked skeptically as Onyx sat right next to the fire in a desperate attempt to warm herself.

"Just really cold," Onyx answered, holding her hands out so that they nearly touched the blaze. "The twins ambushed me and now I'm all wet," she explained.

"Ah." This was all the explanation Harper needed. "Do you want something to drink to help warm you up?"

Onyx shook her head. "Not unless somebody else gets it for me, I'm not moving until I can feel my fingers."

Harper smirked and then turned back to whatever homework she was working on. "So, how was the date?" she suddenly asked as if just now remembering that's where Onyx had been.

"It was good," Onyx said. "Short-lived but still enjoyable. We went to that bookstore and read poetry and then got interrupted by the twins."

Harper looked up obliquely. "The twins barged in on another date?" she asked suspiciously.

Onyx nodded. "Again. And then they kept trying to provoke Cedric into having a snowball fight with them and they kept attacking us… and then Cedric had to leave."

"Leave? Where did he go?" Harper asked, clearly shocked.

Onyx shrugged. "No clue, all he said was that he had to meet a friend who needed help studying."

"Well that's commendable, I suppose," Harper allowed. "And then you were alone with the twins," she guessed.

"Nope, just Fred actually. George went after Cedric."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "You were alone with Fred? Please tell me that he didn't kiss you or anything."

"What classifies as 'or anything'?" Onyx asked. "He did tackle me."

Harper laughed and shook her head. "Oh Fred," she sighed. "Those boys need to learn that you're taken."

"That would make my life so much easier," Onyx agreed. "It didn't really mean anything, though, it was more like I got tackled and he landed on me," she clarified.

"Ah," Harper said again, once more turning to her homework.

Onyx was eager to get off the subject. "So what are you working on?" she asked curiously.

Harper groaned. "Trelawny's essay on evil spirits. This thing is so stupid, all the information I'm finding just says that evil spirits really don't try to harm us, which is exactly opposite of what she told us." She threw down her quill in protest. "I give up. I'm at two pages and I'm done for the night."

Onyx laughed. "I should probably help the twins with theirs later," she decided out loud.

"Where are they?" Harper asked. "Didn't you say they were with you?"

"No, but they were right behind me," Onyx said, not really caring too much at this point. She focused once more on warming her hands in the fire.

"They certainly hang around you a lot," Harper said vaguely.

Onyx rolled her eyes, all too aware of this fact. "I can't help my flawlessly magnetic personality."

"Ha ha, Onyx. But you know what I mean."

"Yes, Onyx, you should know this by now," George said, walking through the portrait with Fred right behind him.

"Know what?" she asked.

"I don't know, whatever Harper's talking about," he shrugged in response. He came over and sat next to Harper on the sofa. He peered at her parchment. "Is that the stupid essay Trelawny assigned?"

"Yes," she answered dully.

"I tried working on that earlier and all I found was that evil spirits bother you only if you bothered them first," he said, sounding frustrated.

"That's all I've found too!" Harper cried, jubilant that somebody else had come to the same conclusion as she had. She paused. "Wait, you were working on homework without somebody having to remind you?" she gasped.

George rolled his eyes. "I wish you guys would stop freaking out each time we do homework unexpectedly. It's getting rather old."

"Sorry," Harper muttered.

Onyx shivered. "Why is it so cold in here?" she demanded.

"I'm not quite sure but that's why I brought you some hot chocolate," Fred said, handing her a steaming mug of goodness.

She took it wordlessly. "Fred, you didn't have to do that," she said, sounding absolutely touched.

He shrugged. "We were in the kitchens anyway scamming some cream puffs."

"And spiced cider," George added.

Harper looked up. "You have spiced cider?"

"Correction, we _had_ spiced cider," George told her. "I don't have a heart like Fred does so I never thought to bring you any."

Harper jumped up. "I'm going down to get some," she announced.

"What about your essay?" George asked while Fred snickered.

Harper waved her hand nonchalantly. "Who cares, I'm basically done with it anyway."

"Can I copy off it?" George asked hopefully.

"Whatever," Harper shrugged, on her way out the portrait.

George stood there for a second. "I'm going to follow her," he suddenly decided.

"Why?" Fred asked. "You've already had more than enough cream puffs, George," he amended.

George narrowed his eyes. "You can never have enough cream puffs." And with that he slipped out the portrait after Harper.

"What is it lately with all of these cream puffs?" Onyx asked, taking a sip of the hot chocolate that Fred had brought her.

"What's wrong with cream puffs?" Fred asked quickly.

Onyx laughed. "I don't know."

Fred looked extremely perturbed that Onyx might have a personal vendetta against cream puffs and had to sit down to think about it. Onyx interrupted his thoughts by suddenly jumping up.

"I forgot Harper's book!" she cried.

He looked confused. "I'm sure she doesn't need it now, she'll be more than entertained down in the kitchens with George."

Onyx shook her head. "No, it was in my purse earlier so I'm sure it's all wet now, thanks to you two." Before she said another word, she rushed upstairs to grab her purse. She raced back down the stairs and emptied all of the contents on the floor next to the fire. Sure enough, when she picked up the book she could feel how wet it was. She groaned.

"Perfect." She quickly opened it up and held it in front of the fire, trying to dry it page by page.

Fred, highly curious, peered over the arm of the couch. "I've never seen the contents of a woman's purse before," he commented.

Onyx was suddenly self-conscious about her purse. "I'm not exactly the best subject for that kind of study," she admitted warily. She was notorious for having the most random objects in her purse, including a tooth brush and a set of fake vampire teeth. She concentrated on drying Harper's book so she wouldn't get too embarrassed by Fred rooting through her purse. So she didn't see that other book that Fred picked up and began to leaf through with interest.

Finally, when Onyx thought that Harper's book was as dry as she could possibly get it, she realized that Fred had been silent for the past five minutes. She glanced at him. "What are you reading?" she asked, not taking into account the book he was holding.

"Your poetry," he answered.

"Ah." She set Harper's book aside and then his words sunk in. "You _what_?" She quickly tried to snatch the book out of his hands but he held it aloft, clearly enjoying her sudden panic.

"Calm down," he told her, trying to hide a smile and failing. "I actually really like it, as childish as most of it is."

"Childish?" she repeated in disbelief. "My poetry is _not_ childish!"

He grinned as she got even angrier. "I'm joking, Onyx. You're supposed to laugh. You know, ha ha ha?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and then tried to snatch her book back once more. And once more he held it out of her reach. He stared reading some more.

"What is your aversion to rhyming and punctuation?" he asked in interest.

"I don't know, it's just restricting and corny in my book."

"Clearly," he said, "considering that your book contains no rhyming or punctuation."

"Oh ha ha, now give me my book back," she shouted lunging at him.

Fred nimbly jumped up on the couch and flipped Onyx's book open to the page that was held by a tattered lyrics sheet. He began a dramatic reading of the poem on the page in front of him. In a word, Onyx was horrified.

Fred cleared his throat. "_Still_," he began,

"_as the rain pours down_

_do not stray away_

_come and spend the day with me_

_my lazy _

_rainy day _

_lover_

_dim the lights _

_pull the blinds_

_let the rain come _

_caress every _

_soft feature _

_of your face _

_over mine_

_listen_

_be still_

_can you hear it_

_the thunder_

_the tempo of the rain _

_pounding loud_

_like my heart _

_in my chest_

_be still with me_

_my love_

_hold me gently _

_hold me close_

_let slow your hands_

_let slow the time_

_be still with me_

_my love_

_hold me gently _

_hold me close_

_and we will recall_

_what they wont let us."_

Onyx's face was bright red in embarrassment. Fred was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in. Waiting for his sure chastisement, Onyx nervously rapped her fingernails against the tile lining the fireplace.

"Whoa," Fred finally breathed.

"Just let me have it already; I know it sucked," she said falling over onto her back and covering her eyes with her arm.

Fred stifled a laugh and went over to her crumpled form and attempted to pull her arm away from her face.

"Don't look at me," she whined, resisting him.

"It's not that bad. Not bad at all actually. I sort of kind of like it. A lot. Sort of."

"Really?" she asked a little too eagerly than she would have liked.

"Would these eyes lie?" he asked smolderingly.

Onyx propped herself up on her elbows to look him in the eyes. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Oh you aren't are you?"

"I don't know, am I?"

"Not this again," Fred sighed and retired to the couch.

Onyx sat up. "Did you really like it?" she asked, toying with a strand of her hair.

"Like I said, would these eyes lie?"

"Come on, Fred. For serious!"

He looked at her. "Yes, I really like it."

Onyx smiled.

"Hey, random question, who did you write this for anyway?" Fred wanted to know.

Onyx was totally caught off guard. Why would Fred want to know? "Someone."

"Good answer, that narrows it down to about everyone," Fred said sarcastically.

"Does it really matter?" Onyx rebuttaled.

"Yes it does. You just don't write a love poem for no one. Ah-" Fred stopped. "You wrote it for Snape didn't you? I knew it! I knew you had a thing for that greasy-haired, cape donning, potions master."

"Oh please," Onyx rolled her eyes. "I have far better taste than that."

"I don't know. You are dating Pretty Boy," Fred observed. He paused. "Really, who did you write that for?"

"No one in particular," Onyx shrugged off his question.

"You didn't write it for Cedric?" Fred pried.

Onyx rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I knew it! I should go give this to him right now!" Fred exclaimed while jumping up and running over to the portrait.

"Wait Fred!" Onyx called after him. "I wrote it _before_ I started dating Cedric. I wrote it over the summer."

Fred stopped running and turned to look at her. "Over the summer? Why?"

She shrugged, casually approaching him in hopes to snatch the book back. "I just wanted to write it."

Fred stood there, arms folded across his chest. "You just wanted to write it," he repeated. "False. It had to have been inspired by _somebody_."

"Nope." Onyx chirped. "I don't know anybody that inspiring. Now, if you don't mind…" she suddenly sprang forward and snatched the book out of Fred's unsuspecting hands and then ran back to her purse near the fire.

"Not fair! I wasn't prepared for that," Fred complained, not even bothering to chase her.

"You snooze, you lose," Onyx taunted. "Now that we're done torturing me, I'm going to sit down and enjoy my hot chocolate." She sat down next to the couch on her poetry notebook and took a sip. "I mean, cold chocolate."

Fred, realizing that he was still standing there, decided to go over and sit on the couch. And so he did. "Why are you so protective over that silly book?"

Onyx practically spat out her mouthful of cold hot chocolate. "Silly book? It's not just a silly book!" she said indignantly. "It's for the random babblings, scrawlings, rare deep insights, venting, poetry, and glimpses into the inner machinations of my enigmatic mind!" Just to prove her point, she took another sip of her drink.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Now I _really_ want to read it."

"Well too bad. The only person allowed to read it is my husband," she scoffed.

"Wait, are you married and just never told us? Does he know what's going on with you and Cedric? Somebody should warn the poor fellow, where can I find him? How long have you been married? Who _is_ he?!" Fred spewed, blowing things out of proportion as was his style.

Onyx just gave him a crooked smile and took another sip of her drink.

"Onyx!" he yelled. "Are you seriously married?"

"Am I?" she asked playfully.

"Are you?"

"Why are you freaking out about this?" she asked him incredulously. "It's not a big deal at all. So what if I'm married? It's not like _you_ love me."

_Oh snap_, Fred thought to himself. "Pssh, no," he said automatically. "You drive me absolutely insane. I'd have to be twice as crazy to fall in love with you."

"Good," Onyx said, looking relieved. "Let's keep it that way." She paused. "And just for the record, I'm not married. Yet."

Fred rolled his eyes absently, hardly paying attention to her words. He was thinking too much. She didn't want him to love her. But how could he _not_? Now that he was thinking about it, something he had tried so hard not to do lately, he couldn't get her out of his head. And the thought of her with Cedric nearly tore him apart from the core.

She turned around to look at him. "Are you okay up there?" she asked from her spot on the floor, elbowing him in the knee. "You're being uncharacteristically quiet."

"Does it bother you?"

She pondered this. "No, I like the quiet," she decided. "It's nice."

And so they had an unintended moment as Onyx casually leaned back and rested against his legs, enveloped in the very comfortable silence until she felt him shifting his legs.

She sat forward a bit. "Is this bothering you?" she asked, misinterpreting his actions.

"No," he whispered. "Not at all."

He smiled as she settled back down against his legs.


	16. Chapter 16

Meanwhile, down in the kitchens, things were less than quiet. The elves were overly excited to see Harper and George ("A _girl_!" they had exclaimed. "He brought a _girl_.") and right after George mentioned that Harper wanted spiced apple cider, she found herself with four steaming cups shoved in her face. And then George got excited when Dobby told him that the elves had just finished making cream pies. So excited that in his excitement to eat one, he ran over and tripped on all of the elves offering spiced apple cider to Harper and fell face first into one of the pies.

All of the elves froze and there was a collective gasp from the crowd. All was silent for a few seconds as George carefully stood up. That's when Harper lost it.

She started laughing so hard that it hurt for her to breathe. It took all of five seconds for tears to begin streaming down her face.

"Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" George asked her. He wiped the cream from his eyes so that he could see her. The elves were still frozen in place, not sure if they should go on as if nothing had happened or offer to help.

Harper, however, could barely even nod in answer to George's question.

He glared at her. "This isn't funny, Harper," he said. "I have cream in places where no cream should go."

She snorted so hard that it hurt, a fact that only made her laugh harder.

George narrowed his eyes. "It's not funny!" he insisted. "How would you like some cream in your face?"

She quickly shook her head and backed away from him, still unable to speak from laughing so hard. The elves unfroze and moved out of her way. They instead gathered along the sides of the kitchen so that they could watch. A few of them were now fighting their own snickering.

"Oh come on now, Harps, don't be shy," George taunted, inching closer to her. "Say hello to my little pie!" He suddenly grabbed a pie off of the counter and launched it at her. Harper squealed and tried to duck but didn't have the mad reflexes of the Quidditch players and the pie hit her square in the stomach. She looked at it and then looked up at George, only to get hit in the face with a second pie.

There was another collective gasp from the elves.

Harper wiped the pie from her face. "You are _so_ dead, Weasley," she threatened, taking a few steps towards him.

George grinned at her. "Over my dead body," he teased.

She didn't even bother answering him. Instead she continued to saunter over to him, ignoring his suspicious expression. She stood on her tip-toes so that she was face-to-face with him and then smirked. Next thing George knew, she smashed a pie down on top of his head.

The elves broke into a raucous applause as Harper turned on her heel and headed over to the door.

"You really shouldn't have done that," George called out to her.

"Done what?" she asked innocently, reaching behind her for the counter. "This?" She grabbed another pie and shoved it in his face.

"That's it. You're dead," he told her simply, holding his hand out to an elf. The elf looked at his hand, and then at him, clearly not understanding.

"Pie me," George instructed.

Suddenly the elf understood and hurried to get George a pie but Harper hit George in the shoulder first. And then he got her on the back as she was running away. And then she missed him entirely and hit the kitchen wall, which made him nearly fall over from laughter.

"Don't make fun of me!" she whined. "I have no aim."

This, of course, only made him laugh harder and he ran at her, pie in hand. She ducked her head, waiting for the onslaught. When it never came, she timidly raised her head to look for him.

"George?" she asked. Her eyes widened as she saw him suddenly slip on all of the cream on the floor. Then the elves all watched in horror and George gained momentum and bowled Harper over. They fell onto the floor in a cream-covered heap, their noses practically touching in the most cliché way possible.

"Hi," George said.

"Hi," she answered.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

He smashed the pie in her face.

With a yell, she tried desperately to push him off of her, but to no avail. "George, get off of me! This is way too awkward, don't you think?"

He started playing with the cream on the floor. "No, I think I kind of like it here," he mused. "It's rather comfortable."

"You're squishing me," she pointed out, since being awkward was no big deal to him.

"I think that's why I find it so comfortable." He took a handful of cream and let it plop onto her face. She immediately wiped it off.

"I dare you to do that again," she seethed.

He took another handful of cream and let it drop to her face but this time she let it fall into her mouth.

"Hmm, it's actually quite yummy," she said, licking her lips.

"I'll help clean the rest of your face off," he offered quietly, inching in closer.

She almost froze in horror. Almost. Then she scooped up a handful of cream and slapped him across the face.

"Oi!" he cried, leaping to his feet and rubbing his sore cheek. "I was just teasing!"

She angrily began wiping all of the excess cream off of herself as she helped herself to her feet. "No no, I don't need your chivalry, thanks," she said. "I can help myself up. My gosh, George, you're such a…" She shook her head in disgust and turned around, grabbing her mug of cider before she left the kitchens.

George stood there, covered in cream in the kitchens, all alone. Dobby timidly approached him.

"I guess she's not coming back then, is she?"

George looked down at Dobby with a small smile. "Nah, she'll be back. Maybe not with me, but I'm pretty sure she likes your pies. Do you guys want help cleaning up? We might have made a small mess…" George glanced around the kitchen, expecting everything to be covered with cream and saw, much to his amazement, that there was none.

"Oh sir, you make me laugh," Dobby giggled. "We be house elves, sir, cleaning is the easiest thing for us to do!"

"Ah. Well I guess I'll be going after her then," George decided. "Thanks for the pie and cider, it's always appreciated." He walked towards the door and then turned around to face Dobby. "Hey, Dobby, on a scale of one to ten, how well do you think that went?"

Dobby thought for a moment. "Zero, sir. She didn't look too pleased with you."

George bit his lip. "No, I guess she didn't. Wonderful. Well, I'll see you all tomorrow. Thanks for the help." And he left, already wondering where Harper could possibly be. It was far too logical for her to go to the common room but there really was nowhere else that she would go. And so that is where he headed.

Harper, of course, had about three minutes of a head start, but she also ran up the stairs and took them two at a time. Also, she was in a bit of a hurry since she was covered head to toe in cream and didn't want to get in trouble or attract too many questions. She was completely out of breath by the time she gasped the password to the portrait and just wanted to fall onto the couch but knew that would make a huge mess. And besides, Fred was asleep on it with Onyx leaning against his legs, writing in her book.

Harper blinked, certain that some of the cream had gotten into her eyes and making her see things. "Onyx?" she whispered hesitantly, not sure if this was a vision or not.

Onyx looked up and promptly stared. "Harper? Is that you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Harper nodded and then stopped because the movement was making some cream fly off of her body and onto the floor. "I need a bath."

Onyx set down her book and carefully stood up as not to wake Fred. "Let's go to the Prefect's bathroom. Cedric gave me the password the other day and it's almost always empty."

"Why would Cedric give you the password to a bathroom?" Harper asked skeptically as Onyx led the way out to the hall.

She gave a noncommittal shrug. "I heard that he kinda likes me," she began with a half-smile.

Harper rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Onyx, everybody likes you. You just need to accept it and move on. The world will be such a happier place when that happens."

"Everybody does _not_ like me," Onyx sighed. "Snape actually hates me."

"Snape hates everyone. And he doesn't count. I'm talking about other students, you goose."

"Oh." Onyx continued walking down the stairs, trying not to think about what Harper was saying. Because Harper actually said it a lot. "Oh wait!" she said, stopping in her tracks. "We don't have any toiletries."

Harper stopped too. "Oh yeah. Yeah, that might be useful. I'll go back up and get them."

But Onyx shook her head. "No you'll make too much of a mess. I'll go get them and you continue to the bathroom."

"Good plan," Harper agreed and they both ran in separate directions.

"Wait." Harper stopped again. "Onyx! I don't know where it is!" she yelled up the stairs, but Onyx was too far away to hear her. "Great," Harper muttered to herself. "So Harper, what did _you_ do last night? Oh nothing, I just sat alone in a hallway, covered in cream. The usual." She decided to keep going, however, because Onyx was sure to catch up to her sometime. So she was making her way, very slowly, down the stairwell when she saw a shadow approaching her.

"Ah suck," she grumbled under her breath as she saw Malfoy follow the shadow. Malfoy stopped and stared at her as he rounded the corner.

"What the heck happened to you?" he gasped as if she were the ugliest thing he had ever seen. Which was, ironically, the exact thought that was running through his head.

Harper exhaled impatiently. "Oh you know, just getting rowdy in the kitchens. The usual."

He suddenly looked impressed with her. "Rowdy? Rowdy as in… kinky?"

She glared at him. "You wish. Now go away, you're ruining my vibe."

"You have a vibe?" he asked, still looking impressed.

"Malfoy, just leave," she said, pointing down the hallway.

"Fine. But before I go, is Onyx with you?" he asked hopefully.

"LEAVE!" she cried, pulling out her wand.

Malfoy jumped and ran up the stairwell, protecting his face lest she try to ruin it with a curse. After a few seconds, he ran into the person he most wanted to see.

"Onyx!" he cried after practically bowling her over. "How are you, love?"

Onyx gasped. "Malfoy, what are you doing here?" she asked in horror. She hadn't seen him in so long and it had been so nice…

"Oh nothing. I'm sorry that you aren't covered in cream as well, however," he said, trying to sound seductive.

She tried not to gag. "Please don't finish that sentence," she begged him. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat but I really have to go. So… see ya!" She ran before he could say anything else and pretty soon found Harper, standing in the stairwell.

"Hey, I just saw Malfoy—" Harper began but Onyx grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way down the stairs.

"I know, I saw him too so let's go!" Onyx rushed, trying desperately to get to the bathroom before Malfoy could catch up to them. Thankfully the portrait was right here…

She uttered the password and the door swung open and they were in.

"Wow," was all that Harper could manage.

"Yeah, I know. It's nice, isn't it?" Onyx said, walking into a stall to change into her bathing suit. No way was she going into that bath naked. Skinny dipping was not on her agenda, ever. "Just hurry into the bath," she called to Harper.

"But what about my clothes?" Harper called back.

"Just jump in with them on," Onyx told her.

Harper considered her options. "Well I guess I might as well… this is the closest thing to washing them as I'll get for now."

"I have your bathing suit if you want it," Onyx offered.

"Nah, might as well actually bathe and get all this off," Harper grumbled. "Stinking git…" And with that, she jumped in. "Gah!"

Onyx opened the stall door to see what was wrong. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"It's _cold_! Turn on the hot water!" Harper demanded, already getting goosebumps.

"Right." Onyx hurried over to the faucet and started messing with them.

"Do you mind? I don't need purple bubbles," Harper complained, now beginning to shiver. "Give me hot water, woman!"

"I thought you liked being purple," Onyx said, trying to distract her friend as she tried each and every faucet for hot water. It was a slow process.

"No, that's George, remember?" Harper spat. "That stupid git, this is all his fault, you know."

"No I didn't know. You never told me how you got to be covered in a mountain of cream and I really think I ought to know at this point," Onyx said conversationally.

Harper started jumping up and down in the water to warm up as bubbles of every shape and size came out of the faucets, along with columns of colored water, some birds, scents, and even some sounds. "Well we went down to the kitchens, obviously," she started. She gave a sniff in the air. "Wow that really smells good. Anyway, all the elves were really excited to see us and gave me, like, four cups of the cider and then he tripped on one of the elves and fell face-flat into a cream pie."

Onyx looked up from her work. "He fell into a pie?" she gasped. "How funny!"

Harper grinned. "You have no idea. I couldn't stop laughing and he got so mad at me that he threw a pie at me. And so I threw one back, and then another and then he got me again, and then I made one hit the wall, and then he slipped on the floor, fell onto me, almost _kissed_ me so I slapped him, grabbed my cider and left."

Onyx stared at her. "He almost kissed you?" she gasped.

"He said he was just kidding but… I don't think he was," Harper admitted. "Which is crazy, because he doesn't like me like that so he must have just been caught up in the moment or something," she said quickly as if trying to convince herself.

"Yeah," Onyx said. "Sure." She pulled the final faucet and was filled with relief as steaming hot water came pouring out of it.

"Hey, he kissed _you_ in the heat of the moment," Harper shot back. "Just in case you forgot that. So clearly he has a thing for randomly kissing girls, which is totally detestable if you ask me. I mean, you even have a boyfriend and he kissed you!"

"I give you hot water and this is how you thank me?" Onyx teased. "I was trying to forget that, thank you very much."

Harper immediately felt bad. "Sorry," she muttered, slowly sinking into the water, which was just now heating up. Onyx jumped in without a second thought, splashing Harper and getting her soaked.

"Oh, this is nice and warm, what were you complaining about?"

"It's warm _now_!" Harper teased. "But it was frigid earlier. Look, I still have goose bumps," she said, holding her arm out for Onyx to see. Onyx just splashed Harper in the face.

"Whatever, it's warm now so you can get clean."

"Yeah, the sooner I get this cream off, the better. Malfoy made a crack about it earlier," Harper said, making a face at the memory.

Onyx made an even worse face. "At least he didn't say that he _wanted_ you covered in cream."

"Is that what he said to you?" Harper asked. "Aw I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically. She quickly dunked underwater and started furiously scrubbing at her clothes to clean out the cream.

"Don't drown," Onyx joked.

Harper surfaced. "Did you just say something?" she asked.

"Yeah, don't drown down there. What are you, a mermaid?"

"I wish. That would be so fun!" Harper's eyes suddenly widened in excitement. "Oh my gosh, do you think there's a spell that will turn you into a mermaid?"

"Um, no."

"Oh come on, there has to be! And one that turns you into a cool mermaid, not the scary ones like we have down in the lake. There have to be some pretty ones somewhere in the world."

Onyx laughed. "You're ridiculous. Why would you want to be a mermaid?"

"Because!" Harper cried, unable to see why Onyx could see the coolness. "Mermaids are awesome! You get to swim all day and live with cool fish and see sharks and all sorts of stuff."

"Whatever, would you just clean off already?" Onyx asked impatiently. "I don't like just standing here like this."

"Then get out," Harper suggested, scrubbing at her sleeves. "Or sit on the benches in here."

"Good point," she said sitting down on one of the benches.

"Actually, turn around, I want to take these off."

Onyx obliged. "So he tried to kiss you?" she teased.

"Oh yeah, like you weren't doing anything scandalous yourself. What were you canoodling with Fred for?" Harper shot back.

Onyx whirled around to face her. "I wasn't canoodling!" she said defensively. "I was just… resting."

"Yeah yeah. It looked pretty comfortable to me," Harper said, struggling to get her wet jeans off under water. It wasn't working very well.

"It wasn't anything! I was just resting up against his legs. And he was asleep most of the time anyway," she added, in case it would make all the difference in the world.

"Oh. Oh well that makes it all better. He wasn't even awake to enjoy it?"

Onyx splashed Harper again. "There wasn't anything to enjoy."

"Sure sure. No doubt he'll say otherwise when I ask him about it," Harper said mischievously.

"You will do no such thing!" Onyx ordered.

"Oh, so now we're hiding it are we?" Harper asked.

"There's nothing to hide! You're the one who rolled around in cream with George!" Onyx shot back.

Harper finally pulled off her jeans and tried her hardest to whip them at Onyx. This proved to be nigh impossible for they were made of denim and they were wet. Which meant that they were exceedingly heavy. And therefore she failed.

"I wasn't rolling around in the cream with him," she said. "We just fell into the cream. It's completely different."

"Sure sure. I'll bet he says you two snogged though," Onyx retorted.

Harper's eyes widened, this time with fear. "He wouldn't," she whispered.

Her reaction startled Onyx. "Why would that be so bad?"

"Because I don't go around snogging guys in kitchens. It's going to give me a bad reputation. And it's _George_. That's just gross," Harper reasoned.

Onyx considered this. "Why would that be gross?" she asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well, because…" Harper began. She thought for a minute. "Because it's George."

"You stun me with your dazzling intellect," Onyx rolled her eyes.

"Why thank you," Harper answered, pulling her shirt off. "Add some bubbles, will you? I feel exposed now."

Onyx swam over to the faucets and turned on one of the great columns of purple bubbles. "I bet you and George love being purple together," she teased her friend.

"I will haunt you when I die. I swear on my grave, I will come back and haunt you," Harper threatened folding her arms across her chest.

"I have your bathing suit, you know," Onyx offered.

"Don't change the subject!" Harper said, narrowing her eyes. "I still don't know why you were canoodling with Fred."

"I don't know, I guess I just like spending time with him," Onyx said thoughtfully. "And we weren't canoodling, would you stop saying that?"

"So then what _were_ you doing?" Harper begged. "Tell me! I'm dying over here."

"He stole my poetry notebook and—"

"No!" Harper gasped. "Nobody can touch that!"

"I know, that's why I was so mad at him. And then he went and read one of them aloud."

Harper gasped even louder. "He didn't! I haven't even read any of them."

"Well I managed to steal it back from him, thankfully. He said he liked it though. After calling my poetry 'childish'. The nerve…"

"He really read one?" Harper asked in awe. "Wow, he must really like you."

"What did you just say?" Onyx asked, distracted by the bubbles.

"Nothing," Harper said quickly. "I just can't believe he read one of your poems. That takes guts."

"Or a lot of stupidity," corrected Onyx. "Either way, I was really mad at him for doing it. And then I took it back and sat on the floor and he sat on the couch and I just leaned against his legs because I was a little tired. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Huh," was all Harper said. She grabbed some of the shampoo that Onyx brought and began washing her hair. "Ah, good old Muggle shampoo."

"I know, right?" Onyx offered.

"Who sent this to you?"

"My aunt."

"Ah. Is she still living alone?" Harper asked.

"Yeah. I feel really bad but she says she doesn't need me there so… I'm here."

There was a short silence as they both sat in their thoughts. Onyx didn't often talk about home because it was a really touchy subject with her so Harper didn't want to bring it up. Instead, Harper focused on getting all of the cream off of her body.

"This stuff is so gross," she muttered. "Remind me to never eat cream pie again in my life."

"Deal, although you technically never ate it," Onyx pointed out.

"Whatever, you know what I mean."

More silence.

"The twins have really been acting weird lately, haven't they?" Onyx suddenly asked.

Harper looked at her. "What makes you think that?"

"Because they have been."

"Well yeah, they have," Harper said. "Actually they've been _really_ weird. Almost like they're planning something. I bet that's what it is. They're probably planning some huge prank for tomorrow."

"Aw, they'd better not, tomorrow's the dance!" Onyx smiled.

"Don't remind me," Harper said in a bored tone. "It's basically all the whole school's been talking about for the whole semester."

"And you're coming, right?" Onyx asked hopefully.

"Wrong." Harper rinsed the conditioner out of her hair. "I'm not going at all. I'd only go if someone threatened to kill you or kiss me or something."

"Oh, well thanks, I'm glad to know my life means as much as a kiss," Onyx scoffed.

"No offense," Harper grinned at her.

"Whatever," Onyx yawned. "Let's get out of here, I'm getting tired."

"Did you bring a towel?" Harper asked.

"Well duh." Onyx climbed out of the huge tub, grabbed her towel, and then grabbed the one she brought for Harper. "Here you go."

"Thank you very much," Harper said, snatching the towel and quickly climbing out of the tub while wrapping the thing around herself. "It's odd that there's nobody else in here," she commented while grabbing her clothes. "This place is so cool, you'd think the Prefects would be in here all the time."

"So one would think. Hey, you want me to dry those for you?" Onyx offered, nodding towards Harper's dripping clothes.

One spell later and Harper was dressed and ready to go. After Onyx got her clothes back on, they left the bathroom and headed back to the common room. They were still talking about the dance as they made their way up the stairs and didn't notice Cedric quietly leave the bathroom as well.

He couldn't believe his ears. Onyx had canoodled with Fred? Harper had snogged George? And what was so special about Onyx's poems? Why hadn't _he_ been able to read them? And Onyx actually enjoyed hanging out with Fred?! He felt a distinct pang of jealously as he walked back to the Hufflepuff common room and barely acknowledged when Sam greeted him at the door. Instead he just marched up to his room, Sam following in his wake.

"I was about to send someone after you to see if you had drowned, mate," Sam told him. "You were in the showers forever! What took you so long?"

Cedric busied himself with putting his clothes away and then sat down on his bed in a huff. "I think she hates me!"

Sam glanced around the room. "You think _who_ hates you?"

"Onyx," Cedric said in perhaps the most sullen voice Sam had ever heard.

Sam blinked. "Your girlfriend? How could she possibly hate you? You're Cedric Diggory! Everyone loves you, even the Slytherins."

"Yeah well, I heard her say that she likes some other guy's company and I never hear her talk about me that way."

Sam mulled this over in his head. He couldn't really think of anything to make Cedric feel better but knew that he had to say _something_. He sat down on the bed next to his friend.

"Maybe she just doesn't want you to know that she talks about you," he offered weakly.

"You think?" Cedric asked hopefully. "You don't think that she and I just don't have that connection?"

"What connection? Ced, you're a great guy, any girl would give her wand up to be with you. I'm sure Onyx knows how good she has it. This guy she's talking about is probably just a friend or something. I doubt you have anything to worry about," he finished confidently.

"Hmm. No, probably not," Cedric sighed. "I'm probably just being jealous."

"Exactly. But I still don't know why you took so long in the shower," Sam reminded him.

Cedric shook his head. "It's no big deal, I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Oh hey, I still don't have a suit for the dance tomorrow," Sam began. "You wanna help me go shopping?"

"How can you still not have a suit?" Cedric asked him incredulously. "The dance is _tomorrow_!"

"I know, and I'm getting really nervous," Sam admitted. He glanced at Cedric. "You're still going with Onyx, right?"

This caught Cedric off guard. "Why wouldn't I, she's my girlfriend, isn't she?"

"Just checking," Sam said quickly. "You seemed a little upset earlier so I didn't know if you were still going or not."

"No, we're still going. Those Weasley twins aren't going to change that."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you thank you to AndTheSnakesStartToSing! Ship names? Really?! We are too flattered! We especially love Fronyx [so good!]. Thank you to all the readers and favers and what-have-yous! Buckle your seatbelts, this one's going to be a bumpy ride. Carry on._

Fred loved Onyx's poems. That's all there was to it. He woke up as soon as she and Harper left and once he was sure they weren't coming back, he dove for Onyx's notebook. He didn't care if she only wanted her alleged "husband" to read them, he was going to read them and there was nothing she could do about it.

So he sat there and read, allowing himself a glimpse into her enigmatic mind and to get lost in her words. He read through the whole entire thing and then some before he heard the portrait creak open. Guiltily, he closed the book and sat on it before he turned around and saw George walk it. Or, at least he _thought_ it was George.

"George, what _happened_ to you? Did a cream puff explode in your face?" he asked, trying his hardest not to laugh.

A small smile crept onto George's face. "No, I just had really kinky sex."

Fred's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me."

"Yeah, I am," George sighed. "Harper and I just had a cream pie fight down in the kitchens."

"Wait wait," Fred held up a hand to stop his brother. "You did _what_?"

"Had a cream pie fight," George repeated. "What part of that couldn't you understand?"

"But, but how does that even happen?" Fred was completely dumbfounded.

"I fell into a pie and it all evolved from there. She hit me, I hit her, then fell on her, and then…" he faltered, not really wanting to divulge that one extra little juicy detail. "She left to go freshen up."

"You going to the dance with her then?" Fred asked hopefully.

George snorted. "As if. I didn't even bring it up, I was a little distracted by all the pie in my face."

"Yes, I imagine that would be slightly distracting," Fred admitted. "Well, Onyx snuggled with me."

George froze. "She what?" he repeated blankly, unable to comprehend what his twin had just said. "Snuggled?"

"Oh yeah, it was hot. You should have been there, although in all honesty I'm glad you weren't. It would have ruined the moment."

"What moment? Did you guys have a moment?" George cried.

"We most certainly did. We read each other poetry that we wrote and then snuggled right here on the couch," Fred said smugly. "You missed it."

George regarded his brother. "I don't think I believe you."

Fred shrugged and turned back to the fire. "Your loss."

"Well I snogged Harper," George retorted, not to be outdone.

This didn't even phase Fred. "You did no such thing."

"I most certainly did so."

"Then shall I ask her how it was? I imagine it was rather wet," Fred continued teasing.

"Wet?"

"Or maybe it was like kissing a troll. Oh no!" Fred suddenly gasped. "What if you're as bad of a kisser as Malfoy or Ugly McFugly?" he asked, eyes wide with mock fear.

"I'm going to go take a shower," George announced, having had enough of his brother's teasing. "I'm a far better kisser than Ugly McFugly, anyway."

"How do you know?" Fred asked.

"Onyx said so." George had to duck as Fred threw a pillow at him. Grinning wickedly, he disappeared up the stairs to the dormitory.

"Git," Fred muttered. He had forgotten that George had kissed Onyx that one time, something he didn't exactly want to remember because it filled him with a sense of…

His thoughts were thankfully interrupted by more creaking of the portrait. From the sound of the voices he could tell it was Harper and Onyx. He quickly hid the book away in Onyx's bag before the girls came over to the couch.

"Hi Fred," Harper greeted him brightly, bouncing down onto the couch. He noted that her hair was wet.

"Been swimming?" he asked.

"Nope, just a bath," she told him, sitting cross legged on the seat now.

"Was it with George?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Her jaw dropped. "Why would I take a bath with George?"

"No reason, I just heard a rumor that you guys got into a really dirty fight in the kitchens," he explained.

Harper narrowed her eyes. "How much did he tell you?"

"Enough."

"Thanks for being so vague," she snapped.

"Oh don't worry," Fred assured her. "All he said was that you guys had some really kinky sex."

"He _what_?!" Harper leapt to her feet in indignation. "Is that really what he said?"

"Harper, calm down, I knew that he was kidding," Fred assured her.

"I know but still, he can't go around telling people that…" Harper began.

"I'm sure that he's not," Onyx said reasonably, leaning on the back of the couch between Fred and Harper. "But I suggest that we all get to bed early so that we sleep a lot and then tomorrow will go faster so that we can all go to the dance and be happy!"

Fred and Harper looked at her blankly.

"I don't think the dance is going to make anybody happy, Onyx," Harper told her.

"Shun the non-beleiver!" Onyx cried, pushing Harper away.

"I'm still not going," Harper insisted as Onyx leaned over to grab her bag on the floor.

"Yes you are," Onyx said confidently as they walked away from the couch. "Night, Fred," she called over her shoulder.

"Night," he called after them, but they were already gone. Fred sat there, wondering if perhaps he should go to bed too, because there really wasn't a lot for him to do now, when George came back down.

"Are they gone?" he asked cautiously.

"I think they went up to bed."

"Good, now I can relax." George came and flopped down next to Fred with a sigh. "I hate girls."

Fred scoffed. "Yeah right."

George turned his head to look at him, smiling. "Yeah, you're right. Life would be boring without them. So who are you taking to the dance?"

"Nobody, as of yet. You?"

"I haven't asked anyone but I'm still going to go," George said thoughtfully.

"Tomorrow is going to be hectic," Fred groaned. "All the girls will be freaking out about their hair and makeup and dresses and dates all day long."

George nudged him. "Don't lie, you're looking forward to seeing _someone_ in a dress."

Fred nudged him back, but harder. "That would be you, mate."

"Would not. I'm not attached to anyone, remember?"

"Lies. You had a cream pie fight tonight. That shows attachment," Fred said philosophically.

"More lies. It most certainly does not. And besides, she's not going to the dance," George pointed out.

"Meh, you still want to see her in a dress," Fred stated.

"Nope, I just want to see Onyx in a dress. I've already seen Harper covered in cream so I think I've met my Harper-quota for life."

Fred grinned. "Harper-quota," he laughed. "Does Ron know about Harry and Hermione yet?" he asked suddenly.

George shook his head. "He hasn't disappeared off the face of the earth yet, has he?"

"Guess not."

They sat back in silence once more.

"I still hate girls," George said again.

The next day was, of course, Friday and nobody wanted to attend classes that day at all but they all did anyway. The day dragged on and on and Onyx was sick and tired of it by lunch time. She spent the meal talking with Ginny and Hermione about getting ready and discussing dresses while Harper spent the whole time rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. Thankfully, the last few classes of the day flew by and all of a sudden it was time to get ready.

Onyx brought her dress out of the closet and both she and Harper marveled at it.

"It really is pretty," Harper admitted. "I'll be upset if you spill something on it tonight."

"That's not going to happen," Onyx assured her. "I'll be more than careful. Plus," she waved her wand over her dressed and muttered a stain repellant charm.

"Oh you are brilliant," Harper said of her friend.

"I have my moments," Onyx laughed.

It didn't take her long to get dressed and then Harper helped her with her hair. Then Ginny and Hermione came in wanting help as well. All three of them tried to guilt Harper into coming but she just wouldn't budge. She kept insisted that she had homework to do, which they all knew was basically a lie.

Finally, the girls were all dolled up and ready to go downstairs. Hermione was the most nervous out of them all.

"This is just going to be so weird," she muttered. "Going with Harry is a huge mistake, I never should have said yes…"

"Oh Hermione, calm down, it's only a dance," Harper sighed. "If this doesn't work out then you'll know that you guys are fine just as friends, no harm, no foul."

"If it's just a dance, then why aren't you going?" Ginny shot at her.

"Stop trying to get me to go, Ginny, it's not going to work!" Harper sang. "Anyways, Hermione, just calm down and if it helps, don't think of it as a date. You're just going as friends."

"Right," Hermione breathed. "Just as friends."

"There you go. You guys all ready now?" Harper asked them as a group.

"Nope, you're not ready yet," Onyx told her.

"Not gonna happen. You guys are going to go and have fun and won't need me there. In fact, you'll forget I even exist, you'll have so much fun."

They all scoffed but finally dropped the subject. Hermione was the first one out the door and down the stairs. Both Harry and Ron stared at her.

"Why're you so dressed up?" Ron asked scathingly.

"I'm going with Harry," she said. "As friends."

"Oh. When did that happen?"

"When I couldn't get any other date," Harry supplied.

This seemed to pacify Ron and make him feel a little bit better about the whole situation, so it was dropped. Ginny left with Neville and then Harper noticed Fred at the foot of the stairs, waiting. She bounced down the stairs in her jeans and tee-shirt.

"Well," she asked. "How do you like it?"

"Like what?" Fred asked.

"My outfit, duh," she told him.

He looked her over. "I thought you weren't going."

She laughed. "I'm not, I'm just teasing. You look very nice, by the way."

"Ah yes well, I try to clean up nicely for the ladies," he explained.

And that's when Onyx walked down the steps. Fred dropped his suave air and stared at her so much that Harper had to nudge him.

"So, what do you think?" Onyx asked when she got to the foot of the stairs. "Do you think Cedric will like it?" She twirled around to give him the full effect.

"That's a dumb question to ask," he murmured. Harper glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Onyx flashed him a grin as George walked up, dressed in a suit just like Fred's.

"So, you ready to go yet?" he asked, fixing his sleeve.

"Um yeah, but I'm going to go downstairs alone," Onyx told him.

"I wasn't talking to you," he said.

"What?" Fred, Onyx, and Harper all asked in unison.

"Then who were you talking to?" Fred asked him.

"Harper," George said, nodding in her direction. He stopped when he saw her. "You aren't dressed," he said blankly. "Why aren't you dressed?"

Harper looked down at herself. "Well, last time I checked, which was fairly recently from what I remember, I was in fact dressed."

"I mean, you're in jeans."

"Or course I am, I always wear jeans," Harper pointed out.

"But you can't wear jeans to a dance. Come on, Harper, you aren't even ready yet?" George asked impatiently. "The dance is about to start and you're hair isn't even up!"

"George, what are you talking about?" she asked him in utter confusion.

"I'm taking you to the dance," he stated simply. "So go upstairs and put on that dress that I know you're secretly dying to wear, and hurry it up! We only have a few minutes until Onyx has to meet Cedric and you don't want her to be late, do you?"

She stared at him. Was he insane? "You do know that I'm not going, right?" she asked, just to make sure.

He gave her a condescending look. "Harper, go get ready for the dance or else I'll try to kiss you again," he said, giving a quick wink to Onyx.

"But, but I'm not going! And why did you just wink at Onyx?" Harper asked in a sudden panic. They were going to ambush her, she just knew it.

"Harper, I swear I will kiss you right now if you don't hurry up and get ready," George told her with all of the seriousness he could muster.

She looked at him for a moment, and then turned on her heel and ran up the steps.

"Have you ever heard of a girl who would rather put on a dress and go to a dance than kiss a guy?" George asked, shaking his head in amazement.

"I have to say that I don't blame her," Onyx told him. "I'm going to go help her."

"Bitter much?" he teased.

She just stuck her tongue out at him as she followed Harper up to their dormitory. "Harps?" she asked as she knocked on the door and walked in. Much to her surprise, Harper was already in the orange dress they had bought so long ago. "Here, let me help you with your makeup and hair."

"Don't you have to go meet Cedric?" Harper asked her in concern.

"Not for a few more minutes. And besides, he'll understand," Onyx said as she began working on Harper's hair. "This is an emergency."

Fred shook his head in pure admiration. "How on earth did you do that? Everyone knows that she had absolutely no intentions of going tonight."

George grinned. "It's all part of my perfect plan, my brother. I have to give credit to Onyx, however, because she's the one who told me that Harper said she wouldn't go unless somebody threatened to kill Onyx or kiss Harper."

But Fred was hardly paying attention. "I'd just give anything to be Cedric Diggory tonight," he sighed regretfully.

"Say what?" George asked him.

"Did you even _see_ her?" Fred asked incredulously.

"No, not really."

"Dude," Fred said. "You're missing out. With her eyes and her hair and that dress…" Fred drifted off in another longing sigh.

"Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention. It's all a part of my genius plan," George announced.

"Well it can't be that genius if you can't even look at Onyx," Fred responded.

"Oh, I'll look at her later, don't worry," George assured his twin, waving off Fred's doubt. "If things work out as planned—"

"Oh my gosh, I'm going to trip and die in these death traps!" Harper's voice ricocheted through the stairwell. "You're feet are so much bigger than mine, can't I just go barefoot?"

"No!" they heard Onyx hiss. "Just go downstairs!"

"Walk in front of me so you can catch me when I fall to my death," Harper insisted.

Fred and George exchanged glances as the girls came down the stairs, Onyx leading a girl they hardly recognized.

"Oh my gosh, you killed her!" Fred exclaimed.

"Shut up, Fred," Harper snapped.

"No, I'm pretty sure she's in there somewhere," George grinned. He leapt up the steps and offered Harper his arm. "You look r-r-r-ravishing, m'dear," he told her, rolling his 'r'.

She rolled her eyes and ignored his arm. "Let's just get this over with," she said, doing her best to march in the high heels that Onyx was lending her to the portrait. She made it most of the way but they saw her trip on her way out.

"I'm ok!" she called, waving to them from the other side of the picture. "I'm ok, don't worry."

"Is she gonna make it all the way downstairs?" George asked Onyx skeptically.

"I hope so," she said, not sounding all too confident. "But at least she looks good, though, right? I've really outdone myself this time."

"Yeah, well if she falls down the stairs and dies, nobody's going to get a chance to see her."

Onyx punched him in the arm. "She's not going to fall and die, George!"

"Not yet, at least. But just to be safe, I probably ought to go walk with her…" and with that, George ran after her.

Leaving Fred and Onyx in the common room.

"I probably ought to go meet Cedric," she started.

"Oh right! Well I'll walk you down in case you fall and die too," Fred offered.

She frowned. "I'm not going to die, Fred, thank you very much. Although, these are four inch heels, I mean, look at these things," she said, pulling up her dress a bit to reveal two four-inch black heels.

Fred looked at her legs a bit longer than necessary. He felt his mouth run dry as his eyes lingered on her porcelain flesh.

"Fred."

"Sorry," he grinned. "Ready?"

"You bet," she grinned back. She walked over to the portrait. "I hope she didn't really fall all the way down the stairs," she muttered.

"I'm sure that George is right there to catch her if she really does fall," Fred assured her. They made their way all the way down to the grand staircase where Onyx stopped to catch her breath.

"Are you sure I look okay?" she asked Fred again.

He stepped back and looked her up and down. Finally he just tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Better than okay."

Without another word, she turned and went down the stairs towards a waiting Cedric, who was standing with Sam at the foot of the stairs.

"Sam, what do you think they're doing?" Cedric asked his right-hand man.

Sam shrugged. "Talking, it looks like. You need to relax, Ced, she's going to be here in less than a minute."

"But they keep talking!"

"Game face, mate," Sam reminded him.

"Right," Cedric said to affirm himself. "Game face." He exhaled quickly. "This is going to be fine."

"It'll be more than fine, I mean, look at her!" Sam exclaimed.

It was hard not to, to be honest. Onyx was wearing a long dark grey, strapless dress that pulled in all the right places with dark, smokey makeup and her black hair elegantly twisted at the base of her neck except for a few loose curls framing her face. In short, she was gorgeous. And she was all Cedric's.

"Hi," she said breathlessly when she reached him.

"Hi," he replied, at a total loss of words.

"See, I told you it would be worth the wait," she taunted him.

"You weren't kidding," he told her.

"You know, you don't look half bad yourself," Onyx coyly observed, kissing him on the cheek.

"I don't?" Cedric asked cocking an eyebrow at her and straightening his jacket collar.

"Ced, you never cease to dazzle me."

Sam poked Cedric in the side, "see?" he whispered.

"See what?" Onyx asked.

"You see, Sam and I were debating which you would like better, a tie or a bowtie, I said bowtie and Sam said tie, because he said it was more rock and roll to wear a tie with a tux instead of a bowtie and since you like rock and roll so much he said you would like it better, so taking that into consideration I wore a tie and you like it right?" Cedric spewed.

"I like the tie," Onyx assured him.

"Great! Do you want to go in now, or stay and mingle for a bit?"

"Well I kinda wanted to see Harper, she should be around here somewhere with George," Onyx started, glancing around the room to try and find her friend.

"With George? George Weasley? That's a shock," Cedric said.

Meanwhile, Fred was now all by himself. He looked around for George and Harper and found them in the corner.

"I'm telling you, we're going to have to amputate my feet if I continue wearing these," Harper was saying.

"So what do you want to do?" George asked as Fred approached them.

"Go barefoot, of course," Harper told him as if it were as plain as day.

"You want to go barefoot?" George asked in amazement.

"What difference does it make, you'll still tower over me," she pointed out.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Fred asked.

"Dying," Harper cried, "these shoes are torture devices."

"But they look nice," George commented.

"Yeah, but they don't _feel_ nice. I'm taking them off and hiding them right here," Harper said taking off her shoes and hiding them behind the statue in the corner. "Much better," she sighed wiggling her toes.

"You are blundiferous. In fact I am so embarrassed, I don't know if I want to be seen with you anymore," George told her.

"Fine, I'll just go back up stairs." Harper turned and headed for the common room.

George, being not too pleased with this prospect, grabbed her arm. "No, you are not. You are going with me and you are going to like it. Now let's go." He took her arm and linked it with his and began marching down the stairs.

Fred followed them somewhat awkwardly, having no date. Anyways, they proceeded into the totally transformed Great Hall. The long tables had completely disappeared and instead there was a single stage with a phonograph from which the music was playing. There were red and gold streamers hanging from every which way, in celebration of Gryffindor's Quidditch victory. There were pictures of each of the players hanging on the walls, showing them as they played the game they knew best. And, to top it all off, there were about four Snitches flying about the room, buzzing in and out of girls' hair and between legs and along the ceiling.

"Harper!" they heard Onyx call from behind them.

George and Harper turned around to see Onyx and Cedric walking towards them. "There you are, I've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, we ran into some technical difficulties," George explained with a smirk. "Hello, Cedric," he greeted his competition.

Cedric wrapped his arm around Onyx's waist and pulled her closer. "Hello, George, how are you?"

"Quite fine, quite fine," George answered, putting an arm around Harper's shoulders.

"Good. Do you want to go dance, Onyx?" Cedric asked not breaking eye contact with George.

"Um, sure," Onyx answered hesitantly, not really knowing what was going on. She and Harper exchanged glances. "I'll talk to you later, Harps."

"Yeah, go have fun," Harper told her, feeling strangely uncomfortable with the weight of George's arm on her shoulder.

With a wave, Onyx and Cedric disappeared into the crowd and George and Harper stood there, watching them leave.

Harper shrugged off George's arm. "So, what's next?"

"You really are a sheltered individual, aren't you?" he teased her. "We dance, of course. Please tell me you know how," he said quickly. The thought had never occurred to him before.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to lead anyway?" she challenged.

He couldn't argue with that logic. "Just come on," he said, leading her onto the dance floor. Everybody was already dancing to the music provided by the magical phonograph, which switched from genre to genre in order to please everybody. In fact, it took requests.

Cedric and Onyx were dancing to a slower song.

He smiled at her.

"What?" she asked her cheeks beginning to blush.

He smiled at her that crooked smile that made her go weak at the knees. "Words can't describe how beautiful you look tonight."

"Ced," she cooed.

"No really. I'm glad I didn't see the dress before, because when I saw you coming down the stairs, yeah that pretty much made my night. You're gorgeous and I have you all to myself. Which makes me the luckiest guy in Hogwarts."

She blushed and smiled because she didn't have answer for that. He leaned in and kissed her stunned lips.

George was watching and tried not to gag. Those two were disgusting. They way Onyx's arms were wrapped around Cedric and the way Cedric's hands were all over her waist and bare back. The way they were dancing so close and now kissing. Gross!

Harper picked up on George's disgust. "Come on, I'm not _that_ bad of a dancer. What's up?" she asked him.

He shook his shaggy head. "It's nothing. The other couples are just too cute for their own good; it's nauseating."

"Oh," Harper said sounding somewhat relieved. "You're watching Onyx and Cedric aren't you?" Harper pried.

"So what if I am?" George rebuttled.  
"It personally doesn't bother me, but the general populous may perceive it as quite creepy,"  
Harper pointed out.

"I don't really care what the general populous thinks," George answered.

"You would. I actually admire that about you and Fred."

"You do now?"

"Mhmm," she nodded.

"You tend to have the same attitude," George observed.

"That's ironic. I never thought about it that way before."

"Yeah, we actually have a lot more in common than we actually thought," George noted.

Harper looked at him quizzically. "We do, don't we?"

George nodded.

Meanwhile, Fred was hanging out alone with Harry, Ron, and Hermione watching everyone else having a grand old time, primarily Cedric and Onyx.

"You know, they actually look quite cute together," Hermione quipped.

"Who? Onyx and Cedric?" Fred questioned.

"No," Hermione said slowly wondering why on earth Fred would asked that. "George and Harper. I mean look, they are actually dancing. I can't believe that George actually got her to come."

"I know. She was so dead set on not going," Harry commented. "I wonder what happened?"

"He probably charmed her or something," Fred told them.

They all laughed at the notion, everyone except for Fred that is. He was still watching Onyx and Cedric, wishing he could be in the one to have her in his arms.

Thankfully for Fred, the tempo of the song changed as it crescendoed into the "Hippogriff Song".

"Let's go over and dance with Onyx and Harper," Hermione offered pulling Harry along with her.

Ron and Fred followed them over to where Onyx and Harper were with Cedric and George.

"Hey guys!" Harper waved to them.

"Hey!" they all answered beginning to dance.

Fred and George began some interpretive dance in the center of the loose circle they haphazardly formed. Naturally, everyone watched and laughed. For the rest of the night, they mostly danced as a group, with the exception being Cedric and Onyx considering that they were a couple and acted as such. George would get annoyed when Onyx would only dance with Cedric and not with the group; he didn't like them touching… AT ALL. He was particularly frustrated when they would dance together on the fast songs closely; that's suppose to be group time not, couple time. And he really didn't like the way Cedric was acting, what was his deal?

During the one of the faster songs, which Harper and Onyx noted as one of their favorite Muggle techno songs "Sandstorm", Onyx noticed the difference in Cedric too.

"Ced, what's with you tonight? You are so… loose," Onyx told him while dancing with him. "I mean you even took off your jacket, loosened you tie, rolled up your sleeves, and unbuttoned your shirt a bit. Not to mention that you are a dancing fool."

Cedric looked at her, "you don't like it?"

She had to laugh. "Of course I do! I'm just shocked you are letting loose as much as you are."

"Well you better. This is the new and improved Cedric Diggory."

"I could get used this," Onyx smiled.

"Good, because he is going to be sticking around for a while." He smiled his crooked smile at her and took her in his arms. She loved that smile and he knew it.

While Cedric and Onyx were coupling, strange things were happening.

"You having a good time?" George wanted to know, still after asking Harper for the ten millionth time.

"Surprisingly, yes," she answered. "Who knew I'd have fun at a dance?"

"That's what I like to hear," he grinned at her with an incredibly mischievous grin that she came to know so well.

Harper sighed in her head. How she had came to love that grin, and the way his shaggy red hair fell in his face, and his big, brown, puppy dog eyes and…..

_WHAT AM I THINKING?!_ Harper screamed at herself in her head. _ I can't be in love with a guy. It goes against everything I believe in and it's just gross! Boys have cooties._ This thought was suddenly very funny to her and then she had a huge ridiculous grin on her face.

"Okay, now I know you are thinking something dirty," George said noting her grin.

"I am not!" she defended herself. "I'm just thinking."

"About?" he prompted, trying to egg her on.

"None of your business. You'll make fun of me."

This was the wrong thing for her to say. "Well now I _really_ want to know."

"Well you're not going to so you can just forget it," she told him.

"Not going to happen. So you might as well tell me now."

Harper just shook her head stubbornly.

"Come on," he said, poking her.

She still refused to talk and distracted herself by looking around for Onyx. Then he started tickling her. She let out a small scream that made the people around them stare at her. George started cracking up.

"I didn't know you were ticklish," he said in an awed voice.

"I'm not," she said quickly. "But don't do it again," she said quickly, batting away his hands as he came in for another attack. "You'll make a scene."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Alright fine."

"Good," she said, still watching his hands with a wary eye. "If you really want to make a scene, though, Onyx is about ten times as ticklish as I am."

George grinned one of his mischievous grins that she had come to love so much. "Oh is she, now. That is some very useful information you have armed me with. In fact, I probably ought to go tell Fred that right now…" He started walking away but Harper grabbed his arm.

"You aren't going anywhere," she warned him.

He stared at her in amazement. "My my, when did _you_ get so forceful? You're such an abusive girlfriend, you won't even let me go see my own brother!"

Her heart gave an involuntary flutter at the word 'girlfriend' but she pretended that didn't happen. "Hey, you're the one who dragged me here in the first place," she reminded him.

"Well I didn't think I'd come to regret it like this," he shot back.

She let go of his arm. "Ok fine, go see Fred. I'm getting a little tired anyway," she said, yawning for extra emphasis.

He laughed. "You aren't getting off that easily," he told her. "If you're tired go sit down but you are not to leave this room, understand?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.

As the night went on, everyone present found it more and more enjoyable. Onyx was having a blast with the new, goofy Cedric and George was beginning to regret his original plan because it wasn't working, and even the trio's night lacked their typical drama. It was nearing midnight when Onyx finally spotted Malfoy sauntering his way over to her.

"Oh no," she muttered. "Ced, hide me," she said, rearranging herself so that she was hidden behind him.

"Why?" he asked, voice full of concern.

"Hello, Pretty Boy," the acidic voice greeted Cedric.

"Oh." Cedric's face fell. "That's why."

Onyx nodded, still trying desperately to hide from Malfoy's sight.

"Do you mind if I steal your girlfriend?" Malfoy was asking.

Cedric whirled around to face him. "Of course I do! Why on earth would you ask such a stupid question, Malfoy?"

Malfoy didn't look bothered. "My goodness, Pretty Boy, you certainly got defensive. All I asked was an innocent question. No need to get those ugly panties in a knot. Well can I at least steal a dance?"

"No," Onyx and Cedric said in unison.

"You might as well stop asking, Malfoy," Cedric spat. "She's mine and I don't share."

"How selfish," Malfoy told him. "Do you really want to be with such a selfish person, love?"

Onyx narrowed her eyes at being called 'love'. "As opposed to an all-around git like you?"

"Oh come on, you're too hot for him," Malfoy goaded, looking her up and down lustfully. "Someone as sexy as you should be on my arm, not an Ugly McFugly like him."

Cedric lurched at Malfoy with a look of utmost contempt on his face. Onyx tried her best to hold him back.

"Cedric, no! He's just trying to rile you up, it's not worth it!" she pleaded with him.

Malfoy stood there, hardly perturbed and highly amused. "You can't fight me, Pretty Boy. I'll ruin that precious face of yours."

"Come on, Ced, let's just go," Onyx encouraged, pulling Cedric away from Malfoy. They started walking as Malfoy quickly reached and slapped Onyx on the ass.

She gasped and didn't know what happened next except that suddenly Cedric's arm shot out in front of her face and then Malfoy was on the ground, holding his now-bleeding nose.

"Ced—" she started and then saw that he was holding his hand. "What just—are you hurt?"

"Um, well, I might have broken something," he managed to say, wincing in pain as he tried to uncurl his fingers. "I have to go." Still clutching his hand, he turned and began walking towards the doors.

"Wait, Cedric. Do you want me to go with you?" Onyx asked, following him.

He turned to face her, looking sympathetic. "No, Onyx, stay here. I just have to go see Madam Pomfrey." He winced again. "Right now." He gave her a quick kiss. "Go have fun, I'll see you later. Or tomorrow."

"Come see me as soon as you're done," she told him.

He just nodded as he ran out of the room, grumbling a string of multiple expletives as he left. Malfoy followed him out of the room, clutching his nose and flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Onyx resisted the urge to trip them, but she was in a dress. Alas.

Slowly, she turned around to face the dance once more. Now what was she supposed to do? Her date was gone but she didn't want to just leave now. She was spared from thinking too much by Harper, who came running up to her, looking all too confused.

"What just happened?" she gasped as soon as she reached Onyx.

Onyx began rubbing her temples in frustration. "Malfoy," she answered in a disgusted voice.

Harper immediately made a face. "You're kidding. He has to go and ruin everything, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea," Onyx grumbled. "Cedric punched him in the nose and now they're both in the hospital wing."

Harper gave a gasp. "Is he okay? Cedric, I mean," she clarified quickly.

"I think so," Onyx said hesitantly. "His hand seemed pretty bad off."

As Onyx proceeded to relate the incident to Harper, Cho Chang snuck past them both and ran out of the Great Hall, and after Cedric. Neither of them noticed this because Onyx was too busy telling the story and Harper was too busy being disgusted by Malfoy's actions.

"That git!" she hissed. "I can't believe he did that! That crosses so many lines it's not even funny!"

Onyx just nodded absently, still too angered by getting violated by Malfoy. "Where's George?" she asked Harper to distract herself.

Much to her surprise, Harper blushed slightly. "Probably over near Fred. That's where he said he would be, anyways."

Onyx raised her eyebrows, now forgetting all about Malfoy. "Wait, are you having fun here with him?" she asked mockingly.

"Maybe," was all that Harper offered.

"Oh my gosh, you are!" Onyx squealed. "You're having a good blast after all that time saying that you didn't want to go, how it was stupid, how you don't like to dance, how it's not worth it…"

"Ok ok, I get it!" Harper snapped, trying hard not to smile. "I was wrong, ok? There, I said it. George is fun," she shrugged. She really hated to admit all of this, especially since she knew it meant that Onyx would never let her forget it.

Onyx eyed her friend. "Did he ask you out?"

"Did he… what?" Harper sputtered awkwardly. "Why on earth would he do that? Did he say something to you?" she asked a little too eagerly. She quickly backed down at Onyx's knowing smile.

"Harper wants a boyfriend, Harper wants a boyfriend," she started singing, much to Harper's annoyance.

"Would you hush up?" she hissed. "I don't want a boyfriend, I was just asking."

"Sure you were. Harper, I can see you hiding that grin. You don't like him, do you?" Onyx asked suddenly.

"Of course not!" Harper vehemently denied. She folded her arms across her chest. "I can't like him, he's George. That would be so weird. It would ruin the whole dynamic." Harper drifted off in a train of thought. Onyx waved her hand in front of Harper's face to make sure she was awake.

"Sorry," Harper said, jolting herself back to the present. "Besides, he doesn't like me back so it's not an issue."

"Are you sure about that?" Onyx asked in a serious voice, as the twins suddenly spotted them and walked over.

"Yes," Harper said confidently. "Because I know who he really likes."

Onyx shot her a puzzled look but Harper didn't explain because that's when one of her favorite songs began to play on the phonograph.

"Oh my gosh, it's "Sparks"!" she screamed. Some of the people dancing around them gave her a weird look but she didn't care. "I love this song!"

Grinning, George took her hand and dragged her to the dance floor. "Well then we'd better not waste it."

Fred and Onyx watched them begin to dance with rather bemused expressions on their faces.

"She's having entirely too much fun with him," Fred commented wryly. "For someone who didn't even want to come in the first place."

"I know, I was just teasing her about it," Onyx told him.

"Wait, where's Ugly McFugly?" Fred asked, just now noticing that Cedric was missing.

"Hospital wing."

"Did you give him a heart attack? I mean come on, just look at you. I would be surprised if he didn't have a heart attack," Fred accused.

"Of course did not cause him to have a heart attack," she laughed.

"Ok good. Let's dance." And before she knew it, Fred was pulling her by her arms onto the dance floor.

"Fred, what are you doing?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her and began to dance.

"There is no way you are going to stand around like a bum just because your Ugly McFugly got sick," he explained.

"Got hurt," she corrected. "He punched Malfoy."

"Whatever," Fred waved it off. "Point is, that is no reason for you to be standing all alone instead of having fun. The thought sickens me."

"Aw, Fred, how thoughtful," she teased. "Are you sure you didn't just want to dance with me?"

"Oh of course I did. I thought that much was obvious," Fred stated.

Onyx was taken aback. "Oh. Well okay."

Fred looked down at her. "You really don't mind?"

She shook her head. "Nope, not at all. What difference is one dance going to make?"

"Silly Onyx, didn't you know that one dance could make all the difference in the world? I thought you were the smart one," he mocked.

"One dance doesn't really make that much of a difference," she argued. "It takes more than that."

"Oh, you mean like a 'moment'? Because last I heard, dances could count as 'moments'," he informed her. "Just in case you didn't know."

"No I didn't know that," she said.

"Onyx, do you mind?" he asked, in a mock-harsh voice. "You're ruining the moment!"

Smiling, she rested her head against his chest for the rest of the song.

That is exactly what Harper was doing with George, except they weren't having a conversation. Instead she was thinking all about what Onyx had said to her earlier. Now that she really thought about it, she realized how comfortable she was around George, and plus, he made her laugh. A lot. That was always a bonus.

"What are you thinking right now?" George inquired, watching her face.

Harper smiled up at him. "I'm just really glad I decided to come."

"I'm really glad you decided to come too," he winked at her.

_This can't really be happening,_ she thought to herself._ Am I seriously beginning fall for George Weasley? I'm fairly certain he doesn't like me back but he did ask me to the dance, and he wouldn't do that if he didn't enjoy my company, and I completely enjoy his. So this could work. We have a ton in common and we really like hanging out with each other, so yeah. Wow, this is heavy. Oh screw theory, there's no place for logic here. I've never really felt like this before, and I don't really mind it._

It took her the entire song to allow herself to admit to herself that she did, in fact, like him. It wasn't a happy thought, per say, but she was pleased that she finally came to a conclusion. Mostly because she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Lucky dog," he suddenly muttered as the song was nearing its end.

She lifted her head off his chest. "What did you say?" she asked, having not heard him.

"Oh, nothing," he said absently, watching Onyx and Fred.

"Did you just say 'lucky dog'? Who are you talking about?" she asked, laughing at the randomness.

"Fred." George wasn't paying any attention at all to what Harper was asking him, otherwise he would have been coming up with some sort of lie to feed her, instead of letting it all spill.

"Fred?" she repeated blankly. "Why is he a lucky dog?"

"He's dancing with Onyx," George lamented.

Harper looked at him. "So?" she egged him on.

"So, I've wanted to dance with her all night."

Harper gave him a weird look. "You have?" she asked warily. Something wasn't adding up…

"Yeah, I did," he said, still watching Onyx with his twin.

"Well why didn't you say so?" she asked him.

"That wasn't a part of the plan," he told her.

She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "There was a plan?"

"Yup, a plan to make her jealous."

Harper thought about this. "How were you going to do that, exactly?"

"By making her jealous, of course."

"Ah, I see," Harper said. "That still makes no sense."

"Well it didn't really work, you see. She was supposed to see me here with you and then be overcome with such jealousy that she would dump Ugly McFugly on the spot and be with me forever—" George said simply. And then he realized what he had just said and saw the look on Harper's face.

But it was too late. Harper took a step away from him. "What?" she gasped.

"No, I didn't mean it like that… it just started like that… but then I really liked the color of your dress because it's so you, and then you eye makeup really brings out the color of your eyes, and then you actually danced with me and I forgot all about Onyx because I was having such a good time because you're so silly all the time and fun to be with and she doesn't like me and…" George spewed out, but he had already dug himself too big a whole.

"You used me," Harper whispered in disbelief.

"Not really. Well sorta. But only at the beginning and then it evolved into something completely different and I got here, with you, and you took off your shoes and I had a good time and forgot all about Onyx—" he started.

"You were looking at her the whole night!" Harper cried out.

He had to admit this was true. "Yeah, but not for the reasons you think, I was just thinking, you know. About stuff and how my plan wasn't working and… and… please don't be mad."

She stood there and looked at him for a minute, contemplating. He watched her hopefully. She was understanding, she'd get it. She'd forgive him, he knew she would. She was too sweet not to.

Then she lashed out and slapped him across the face, leaving a smart, red handprint on his cheek. And then she left without another word.

Ron came up from behind George. "Oh dear, her departure says it all."

George rubbed his cheek. "She really got me, mate. I can't even feel my face!"

"What happened? One minute you were dancing and the next she hauls off on you," Ron said, trying hard not to laugh.

George winced. "She found out I was using her," he admitted.

Ron stopped laughing. "She found out _what_?" he asked in shock.

"I was using her to get Onyx," George said shamefully.

"George! What's the matter with you? You had to have known that would backfire on you!" Ron cried out. He stared at George. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, ok?" George snapped. "I just thought she'd take it a bit better if she ever found out."

"Are you daft? Do you even know girls at all? They _never_ understand our logic."

"Yeah, I know that now," George said sullenly.

It was just at that moment that Cedric came back, just as Fred plucked up the courage to tell Onyx that her dress matched the color of her eyes exactly.

"The grey really brings out the grey in your eyes, it's really quite enchanting," Fred complimented her.

"Aw Fred, that's so sweet," Onyx gushed, truly flattered.

"Very touching," Cedric said dryly. "May I please have my girlfriend back?"

Fred and Onyx stopped dancing and turned to face him.

"Ced!" Onyx cried, throwing her arms around him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said, wrapping his arms around her while eyeing Fred. "I just fractured a finger and Madam Pomfrey fixed up it within a few minutes."

"I was so worried about you," Onyx told him.

"Yes, I can see that," he said flatly. "Are you ready to leave yet?"

"Oh." Onyx bit her lip. "Well if you want to, I guess we could leave."

"Alright," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist securely. She said good-bye to Fred as Cedric towed her out to the hall. He suddenly stopped.

"Oh wait, I think I forgot something," he said, patting himself down. "You go back up to your common room, I'll see you tomorrow, Onyx."

She gave him a quick kiss goodnight. "Alright. I'm glad you're feeling better. And thank you for tonight."

"Do you want to meet me at the fountain tomorrow after lunch?" he asked her suddenly. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Ok…" she said hesitantly. "Tomorrow then."

He flashed her a quick smile and then disappeared into the Great Hall once again. Onyx shrugged, and slowly made her way up the stairs confused.

Fred looked up as he saw an angry-looking Cedric bearing down upon him.

"Looks like you had quite the moment you had with my girlfriend," Cedric growled. "What's the big idea, Weasley?"

Fred stared at him. "Why are you yelling at me?"

"I'd be willing to fracture another finger on you, Fred. Stay away from Onyx. I'm sick and tired of everybody trying to steal her away from me."

George stepped in. "Nobody's trying to steal her from you, we're just showing her that she has other options."

"Oh not you, too," Cedric scoffed. "I mean it, stay away from my girlfriend."

"Yeah, whatever," George rolled his eyes.

"That's not fair," Fred told Cedric. "She's my friend and you have no right telling me to stop being friends with her."

Cedric leaned in closer to Fred. "It seems to me like you want to be a little bit _more_ than friends with her."

Fred flushed and George stared.

"You too?" he cried. "My own brother? I thought you were kidding!"

Fred ignored him. "You still have no right to tell us to stay away from her. That's her choice," he spat at Cedric.

Cedric considered this. "You're right," he said finally. "I guess she'll just have to choose then."

"What?!" Fred exclaimed.

"It's either you or me, she's going to have to choose whose company she prefers," Cedric sneered indignantly.

Fred glared at him. "Don't you dare make her choose between us. That's not fair to her."

"Or it'll make her hate him," George offered.

Cedric glanced at him. "You have something red on your face," he told him.

George self-consciously rubbed his still-stinging cheek.

"Just leave her alone," Cedric threatened, and with a final warning glance at the two of them, he turned and left just as suddenly as he had come.

The twins looked at each other in annoyance.

"That git," George muttered.

"Why is your face red?" Fred asked him.

George flushed. "Harper found out."

Fred's eyes went wide with fear. "I _told_ you she would. I told you somebody would get hurt. Oh man, now she's going to hate you and then hate me because she'll think I was a part of it, and then she'll tell Onyx and then Onyx will hate me because she'll think I was involved too and it will ruin everything and any chance I had with her…"

George held up a hand to stop his brother's ranting. "Wait wait, ruin any chance you had with her? What are you talking about?"

But Fred ignored this. "She probably hates you now, you do realize that, don't you? You two probably could have worked out if you were trying for real but you totally just blew it."

George squirmed uncomfortably as his twin's words hit a nerve. He really did just blow it with Onyx; Harper was her best friend and Onyx was very protective of her. He also hadn't really thought of Harper that way because it had all been fake, he had been pretending the whole time. He never stopped to think that it could potentially be real. He began to pull at his tie, all enthusiasm for the dance completely evaporated.

"I'm going to go to bed," he told his brother in a dull voice. "I'll see you later."

"You're not going to try and find her, are you?" Fred accused.

George scoffed. "Like she'd really want to talk to me right now," he said sarcastically, already heading towards the door. On his way out, he passed countless couples, each of them having a normal, fun night without any heart-breaking drama. _Lucky gits…_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note: **IKhandoZatman, we know, right? Had to throw a little drama in there. Stay tuned to see how it unfolds. AndTheSnakesStartToSing, totally! George doesn't have his head on straight. You'll just have to wait and see who Onyx decides on.__ Carry on._

Onyx was already up in her room and changed out of her dress and into more comfortable sweats when she realized two things. One, that Harper was neither down in the common room or up here in their sleeping quarters, and two, that she had not seen her friend as she left the dance. Worried suddenly, Onyx hung up her dress and rushed down into the common room just to make sure she hadn't simply glanced over Harper. But sure enough, the room was empty; everyone else was still at the dance.

So where was Harper? Onyx bit her lip, thinking. The first place she checked were the bathrooms but they were all empty except for Moaning Myrtle, who said she would alert Onyx if she saw Harper in the u-bends (which was highly unlikely to happen). Then Onyx checked the library, however unlikely a spot that would be. But still no Harper.

Onyx was trying very hard not to freak out at this point. She didn't know where Harper was or why she would suddenly disappear and was about to go back to the dance, dressed in sweats, to ask if anyone knew where she might be when she randomly thought of the Room of Requirement.

Harper was an interesting creature in that when she was upset or angry, she liked to be on her own. Most of the time she went on walks to be alone with her thoughts but it was hard to be alone in a castle full of people. So when Harry told them about the Room of Requirement, Harper found her perfect spot for being alone, just so long as nobody else was using it. Onyx couldn't imagine why Harper would be upset or angry tonight but figured that she might as well check the room anyway.

After performing the correct ritual for gaining access into the room, the door appeared and Onyx walked in. It was an interesting sight that beheld her. There was a giant, full-body picture of George Weasley on the wall with several darts in specific spots, such as his eyes, several in his heart, and even one down south. Standing a few feet away from the effigy was Harper, dart in hand and glaring at Onyx. Her look softened when she saw that it was, indeed, Onyx.

"Hi," she said, lowering her arm. "What are you doing here?"

Onyx glanced at all of the darts on the fake George's body. "I think the better question is, what are _you_ doing here? What's with all the darts?"

As if in answer, Harper let the dart in her hand fly and it landed smack dab in the middle of George's forehead.

"When did you get such good aim?" Onyx asked in awe. Harper was notorious for having the worst aim a human being could possibly have.

"I only have good aim when I'm angry," Harper answered, picking up another dart from the small coffee table standing next to her. Onyx sat down in one of the two blue chairs near the corner of the room.

"But why are you angry? And how long have you been in here? I've been trying to find you for the past half hour and had no clue where you were…" Onyx trailed off as another one of Harper's darts his George in the heart. "And why are you throwing darts at _George_?"

Harper gave a defeated sigh. "It's nothing really," she began. "You know how he has been spending so much time with me lately and been acting a little oddly?"

Onyx nodded, wondering where this was going.

"Well it turns out that it's because he wanted me to think that he liked me."

Onyx gasped. "I knew it! I _knew_ he liked you! Aw you guys are going to make the cutest couple. Can you imagine how crazy you're kids are going to be? Oh my gosh, it'll be mayhem!"

"Onyx!" Harper cried. She was getting way too ahead of herself. "We aren't going to be a cute couple and we certainly aren't going to have crazy children together."

Onyx blinked. "Well, why not? He said he liked you, didn't he?"

"Not really. He's just been acting that way so I would _think_ he liked me," Harper said slowly. "Actually, so _you_ would think he liked me."

"I still don't get it."

Harper tossed another dart, this one landing on George's family jewels. "He was trying to make you jealous."

"Make me jealous? How?" Onyx wasn't following Harper at all.

Harper then came over and sat down in the chair next Onyx. "By getting closer to me," she said simply.

"But how is that supposed to make me jealous?"

Harper slumped back in her chair, not really wanting to relay this information. It did hurt, after all, as much as she hated to admit it. It hurt her pride most of all, over everything else.

"Because you were supposed to see him with me, and get all jealous and realize that you like him," Harper sighed. "And then you were supposed to live happily ever after."

"So… he was using you," Onyx said flatly, the words sounding ugly to her ears.

"Basically," Harper nodded nonchalantly.

"Wait wait, he was _using_ you?" Onyx cried, standing up as the impact of the words suddenly hit her. "He was using you to get to me? That git! How could he think that would possibly work? How could he think he wouldn't get caught? How could he _do_ that?!"

Harper stared as Onyx went on, yelling about how terrible George was, and how she was going to give him a piece of her mind, how she was going to tell McGonagall that she couldn't tutor the twins anymore, how they were going to ignore the twins started that night when they got back to the common room…

"Onyx," Harper tried to cut in. "Onyx, calm down."

But Onyx had worked herself up and was now pacing about the room, still ranting and plotting their revenge.

"Onyx!" Harper yelled.

Onyx stopped her planning and looked at her.

"Do you mind? You're making far too big a deal of this and I don't think—"

"Far too big a deal of this?" Onyx repeated. "Harps, this is a huge deal! He outrightly used you to get to me! That's so wrong it should be illegal!"

Harper had to smile at this. "Well, there's no need to be mad at Fred, though," she said, getting herself back on track. "I honestly don't think he had anything to do with this."

Onyx stared at her dubiously. "But he's George's twin. Of course he was involved!"

Harper had to admit this was true. Fred and George did everything together. If one did something you could certainly bet the other had some part in it. But not this time. "Onyx, I really think this is one thing George did on his own."

"Well I don't care," Onyx announced. "I can still be mad at George all I want."

Harper slumped back in her chair. "That you can do. You can be mad for the both of us."

Confused, Onyx came and sat back in her chair. "Are you saying that you aren't mad?" she asked in utter disbelief.

Harper shook her head. "My ego's mostly bruised," she said. "Otherwise I'm fine. It's not like I fell for the trick or anything," she said, suddenly finding the fabric of the chair absolutely fascinating.

"Your ego? Why is your ego bruised and not your heart?" Onyx asked slowly.

"Because. Do you know what this means?"

Onyx shook her head.

"It means that he pretended to like me so that you would like him," Harper explained. "And _that_ means that the only time a guy will pay attention to me will be to get your attention. And then there's the fact that all the attention was _fake_ attention, which isn't a very good feeling either."

Onyx sat there, suddenly feeling very, very guilty. The whole reason Harper had gotten hurt was because of _her_, her best friend! "This is all my fault," she whispered as realization hit her.

Harper looked at her, horrified. "Like heck it is! It's his for thinking it would actually work, which of course it didn't. I knew he was up to something, I mean, there's no way he would randomly get feelings for me out of nowhere like that." She peered into Onyx's face. "This isn't your fault at all so don't feel bad."

"But if I weren't so… so…" Onyx sputtered.

"If you weren't yourself, you mean?" Harper asked with a smile. "You can't help that so many guys find you irresistible, silly."

"I know, but I never thought it would come back and hurt you!"

"It didn't," Harper said flatly. "The only thing that hurts is that this means I have no way of getting a guy on my own. But I was bound to realize that sooner or later."

"But that's not true!" Onyx cried, standing up once more. "Harper, you are totally capable of getting a guy, you just need to actually _try_."

"Yeah well, I'm not trying for a long time now," Harper muttered. "This has caused me enough trouble as it is."

"Are you sure you're really okay about this?" Onyx asked suddenly. "You seem to be taking this really well. A little too well, if you ask me."

Harper glanced at her. "Of course I'm fine. Like I said, it's not like I actually fell for it. My heart's not broken or anything, just my pride at getting used like that."

Onyx didn't look entirely too convinced. "I find that a little hard to believe."

"Trust me, Onyx. I was onto his twisted little plan a long time ago, I guess I was just hoping it would all just go away." Harper saw that Onyx still looked suspicious so she yawned. "Well I don't know about you, but this drama is making me really tired. Do you want to go to bed?"

"Sure, might as well," Onyx sighed. "I am already changed, after all," she chuckled, looking down at herself.

Harper snickered. "And here I am, still in my dress."

"Shockingly enough," Onyx said sarcastically. "Are you going to take the picture of George for future practice?" she asked, gesturing to the dart-infested image.

"Pssh, no way. That might raise a little too many questions if people saw it," Harper said reasonably.

"Good point," Onyx said. "Shall we go, then?" she asked, offering Harper her arm.

Harper took it gratefully. "Go we shall."

"We'd better not see George when we get back to the common room," Onyx said darkly. "Otherwise I'll have to give him a piece of my mind."

"Just so long as you don't explode at Fred, too," Harper warned. "I really think he's innocent."

"Well, as innocent as a Weasley twin can get," Onyx corrected.

They fell silent as they both gave in to their own thoughts. Because the truth was, Harper actually _was_ hurt. She was so beyond pissed at George that she could hardly stand it but was glad that she could hold it in so other people couldn't tell. Because even though she hadn't really fallen for George's ruse, it had been nice. It had been nice to have a guy pay actual attention to her for once and the fact that he hadn't meant any of it killed her. And the fact that it bothered her so much was bothering her, too. And now Onyx felt guilty about it and was mad at Fred, who honestly had nothing to do with it and would hate to have Onyx upset at him…

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, Onyx was saying the password and leading her up the stairs and into their quarters. There were a few people in there now but they were all changing and talking about the dance. Harper didn't want to talk about the dance at all so she just changed into pajamas and listened to the gossip. From what she heard, there wasn't any other drama aside from her own. How reassuring.

She quickly crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over her head. This still left her alone with her thought, which she didn't really want to do because all she could think about was what had happened. Because the more she thought about the situation, the angrier she became. What made her angrier was the fact that she was jealous. Jealous that both of the twins liked Onyx and nobody paid a lick of attention to her. This, of course, made her feel bad and she felt angry for feeling bad, because this was all George's fault. And then the whole thing started over in a vicious cycle.

She didn't bother telling Onyx about any of this—mostly because she didn't want her friend to know that she was jealous of her. Harper was well known for her disdain for teenage dating/crushing/drama. She would never hear the end of it if this got out so she decided to just keep it to herself.

Onyx wasn't really tired, however, and decided to go back down to the common room since Harper had gone to bed. She glumly walked down the steps and saw Fred slumped on the couch with his head in his hands.

"What's eating you?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

"You know, the same old drag," he answered, feigning a smile.

"Join the club," she said in a dull voice.

Fred looked at her. Onyx didn't really seem herself; she seemed so sad.

_She knows,_ he thought worriedly. _Well of course, Harper would have told her by now. Man, she's going to kill me now._

Onyx sighed and rested her head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling.

"What's wrong, Onyx?" Fred wanted to know.

"It's nothing," she shrugged off the question. As friendly and outgoing as she was, Onyx wasn't one to indulge on how she was feeling or why she was upset. She didn't like people seeing her that way; she didn't like dumping her problems on other people, she just didn't.

"It's not nothing if it has you down like this," Fred pressed, "you can trust me. Now really, what's wrong?"

She looked at Fred; he seemed so sincere. She sighed and ran her hands over her face. "The proper question is, what isn't wrong?" She paused. "You really don't want to hear this do you?" she questioned.

Fred looked taken aback. "Why wouldn't I? I'm your friend, I'm here to help."

Onyx didn't say anything but seemed to take that into account. "It's just that everything is piling up all at once. I mean, usually I can handle these sorts of things, but one after another after another is just a little too much right now."

"What's all been going on?"

She sighed again. "Well first there's this Malfoy thing. I mean it's not a huge deal, but it's beginning to really bother me. It got so bad that Ced punched him tonight. I'm just worried that next time things will really get out of hand and someone is going to be really hurt, and it's going to be my fault. This makes me feel horrible because I know that Ced hates it and it's my fault that Malfoy never leaves me alone. I felt so bad tonight, Fred. Ced fractured his hand on my account."

"How is that your fault?"

"He was protecting me."

"That's because he wanted to. That's not your fault," Fred assured her.

"Well it certainly feels like mine. And that's certainly not the only thing that's going on. To top off this rather lovely evening Harper got her heart ripped out and that is my fault again. I'm so freaking angry at him."

_Crap. Here it comes,_ Fred thought.

"How could he do that?" Onyx suddenly burst out. "Harper is an amazing person! She cute, smart, funny, witty, brilliant. Ugh, Fred, she's my best friend. Hurting her is hurting me. It sickens me to know that I am the one who caused all this pain. And worse still is that she won't even admit that she is hurting. I know her too well to fall for her "everything's alright" front; I know she isn't okay. She really liked George and now he went a used her to get me nonetheless!"

"I'm sorry," Fred apologized. "I feel bad because I should have tried to stop him."

"You couldn't have known. George is a devious, conniving, little backstabber!"

"Hear hear," Fred quipped. "But if you are going to go and blame yourself for this, that means I am equally to blame. It's not your fault you are so attractive, but it is my fault because I share a gene pool with him. "

"Yeah but you don't share a brain, so you aren't at fault."

"So neither are you," he told her.

She mulled it over. "I can't see it any differently, but whatever."

"Just don't lose any sleep over it okay? I know she's your best friend, but you can't blame yourself. It is one hundred percent that manky George's fault. In fact, if it would make you feel better, I will disown him as a twin."

Onyx scoffed. "That's going a bit too far."

There was a lull in the conversation. Onyx let her head fall in her hands.

"There's more isn't there?" Fred pressed.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked not really wanting an answer.

"It looks like something is wearing at you," Fred admitted. "Might as well get it off your chest."

"Touché," Onyx droned. She ran her hands through her hair.

Fred was stunned. He hadn't noticed that her hair was down. He didn't think that he had ever seen Onyx with her hair down. She wore it down sometimes, but it was always straight, tonight, it was curly. He had a thing for curly hair and the way that it framed her face perfectly almost made him swoon. He smiled. She really was beautiful and he hated the fact that she was upset. All he wanted to do was run his thumbs over her cheekbones, run his hands into her hair, and tell her that it was going to be okay. But he couldn't; she wasn't his. "What else is up, Onyx?" he asked sweetly.

"There's this whole thing with Cedric. Everything was fine up until Malfoy ran his course tonight. Ced seemed really odd when he got back and then to make things even better he said "I want to talk to you about something". Which is never a good thing. I'm worried and I am thinking the worst."

"Oh Onyx. Don't think like that. He would be stupid to break up with you," Fred affirmed.

"With all the crap that has been going on, I really feel that that's what's going to happen." She shook her head. "That's all I really need right now."

Fred comfortingly rubbed her back. "That's not going to happen."

"I hope you're right," she groaned.

"I know I am," he almost whispered.

"How can you be sure?" she asked.

_This goes against my better judgment, but she needs to know._ "That is why I was kind of upset earlier."

"I'm not following…" she said slowly.

"Cedric is the reason I was upset earlier."

"What did he do?"

"You know how we were dancing when he came back?"

"Yes…" she said slowly still not following Fred's logic.

"Well, when he left you, he came barreling back into the great hall and let me have it."

"He hit you?!" Onyx interrupted.

"No. He did yell at me though. He said that he was sick and tired of guys trying to steal you away from him and he told me to stay away from you."

"What?! How can he do that? Isn't it my choice who I spend my time with? You're my friend, I can be around you if I want to!" she affirmed indignantly.

"That's what I said, but he said that it was either him or me and that you would have to choose," he said, looking apologetic.

"That's a bunch of bollocks. Why can't I have you both? You both are important to me, just in different ways," Onyx argued.

"I think that's what he wants to talk to you about. He's not going to break up with you."

"That's not fair though," Onyx insisted.

"I'm lost."

"It's not fair that I have to choose between you two. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind too tomorrow," Onyx huffed.

"Don't. He's just worried. He really likes you a lot and doesn't want to lose you. I don't blame him. Please don't jump down his throat because he'll know I told you and that will just cause more drama. He's just concerned, Nyx. Maybe even jealous. He really doesn't want to lose you."

"I just can't take all of this right now. Especially with this whole holiday thing coming up."

"Why? I thought you would appreciate a break from all the drama and Malfoy," Fred offered.

"Holiday's are never breaks for me," Onyx admitted.

Fred was confused. "How so?"

Onyx paused. The only person who knew over her home situation was Harper; she hadn't even told Cedric yet. Against her better judgment, "I don't really have a home to go home to," she admitted.

"What?" Fred queried in confusion, furrowing his brow. "How is that possible? Don't you have a family?"

Onyx looked at her hands in her lap. "No."

Fred stared at her mouth agape. "How?"

She took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Fred the story. "Both my parents were muggles, so actually I am muggle born."

"Really? Does anyone else know?" Fred asked.

Onyx shook her head. "The only people who know are Harper, and now you."

"Well then, go on," Fred encouraged. "I love secrets."

She half-smiled. "Anyway, so my parents being muggles were killed in a plane crash when I was five. Since I am an only child and so was my dad, my mom's older sister took me in. I have been living with her for the past twelve years, well until now."

"What happened?"

"I got a letter from her the other day when she sent me a care package before the dance. She lost her house and had to move in with her friend. Unfortunately for me, her friend hates my guts, so I can't stay with her. My aunt doesn't have any other options, so she had to move in with her friend. So I am technically homeless. My aunt promised me that it is only temporary and that she is desperately trying to get back on her feet before the school year gets out. She told me that I should go home with Harper."

"So you do have somewhere to go," Fred pointed out.

"Actually no. Harper's parents are going on a cruise. They won two free tickets and being the cheapskates that they are, they didn't buy Harper a ticket, so my aunt thinks that I am going home with Harper, but we're staying here."

"Onyx, I had no idea. I don't know what to say," Fred admitted.

"You don't have to say anything. It's okay, I'm used to my life by now," Onyx joked.

"Do you really want to stay here over break?" Fred asked randomly.

"To be honest, no. It would be nice to go somewhere other than this castle," Onyx answered.

_I wonder if she'd come home with me?_ Fred wondered. _I probably shouldn't ask though, that might be awkward considering she is dating someone else. And that someone else hates me._

"What if you went home with Cedric?" Fred offered more hopeful that he wanted to sound.

Onyx thought it over. "That's not a bad idea. But that leaves Harper here and things have been a little weird between me and Cedric lately."

"Things seemed fine tonight," Fred observed.

"Yeah, but some of the things he's been saying has me thinking otherwise."

"Well, like I said, he doesn't want to lose you. I know that for sure," Fred comforted.

"I guess," Onyx sighed.

There was another lull in the conversation.

"You know, if that doesn't work out, you could always come home with me. And Harper could come too," Fred offered as if the idea suddenly hit him.

"Really?" Onyx seemed amazed.

"Yeah really. My mom loves having more people to knit for. I really don't think she would say no. I could write her right now."

"Wow, I would love to! But I'm not so sure about Harper, taking into account the whole George thing," Onyx said, sounding mildly disappointed.

Fred's hopes were shot down. "Good point."

"Hey, there are more Weasleys than George, right?"

"This is true! She can just hang out with us," Fred told her, indicating her and him with his finger.

Onyx gave Fred a huge hug. "Thank you so much Fred. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Fred hugged her back, enjoying it a little too much. He had never been in this close proximity to her. It felt right to have her in his arms, her small frame pressed up against his. He inhaled the light scent of lavender rolling off her hair as her head was tucked into the crook of his neck. He sighed; he could get used to this. But he was getting ahead of himself. Again. He grinned,"Anytime."

"Hey, I'm really tired. I think I am going to call it a night. See you tomorrow," she said letting go of him. "Thanks again."

"Good night."

She smiled at him and then ran up the stairs.

Fred was pretty pleased with himself. He flopped backwards on the couch and thrust his fists into the air. When he was good, he was good. _I can't believe that she's coming to my house for three weeks! That is, if it's okay._ Fred jumped up and penned a letter to his mom and gave it to Errol to deliver.

Fred lounged on the couch and folded his arms behind his head. _Wait 'til George hears about this! Twenty points to me!_ He couldn't stop smiling. Onyx was upset that Cedric had told Fred to stay away from her; that meant she liked being around him. Fred smiled bigger. Onyx actually liked spending time with him! But if she had to choose between him and Cedric, who would she choose? His heart sank a little. She would probably choose Cedric, he has more to offer her. _Ugh,_ he groaned in his head. _She would never choose me over Pretty Boy. He has it all, the charm, the good looks, now the fun-loving personality, a huge house, money; he's the It Boy. And I'm just a Weasley. _Fred didn't like his thought pattern so he decided to run up stairs and go to bed before his thoughts took a dive off the deep end; there was already enough drama for one night and negative thoughts wouldn't help.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note: **IKhandoZatman, can't beat a good dart throwing sessions to burn of some steam. AndTheSnakesStartToSing, the story does take place during the Tri-Wizard tournament. We took some liberty with the timeline to fit out plot, so the challenges and the Yule Ball are moved around slightly. __Carry on._

Fred woke up to George poking him.

"What?!" he whined groggily.

"Come on you oaf, you slept through breakfast so get up!" George prompted, pulling off Fred's blankets.

"George, it's freezing!" he complained, rubbing his arms.

"Well that's what you get for sleeping in boxers," George pointed out.

"You're one to talk," Fred yawned, burying his head under his pillow.

"Hey, leave my sleeping habits out of this," he reprimanded.

Fred was seemingly back asleep.

George walked across the room and grabbed a cup of water and poured it on Fred.

"What's the big idea?!" Fred shouted, shivering again.

"Why are you so tired? I have never seen you like this," George observed.

"I'm tired," Fred offered, jumping up and away from his now-wet bed.

"Well that much is obvious."

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"I could tell. You talked in your sleep all night. Or at least the part when you were asleep. Why couldn't you sleep?"

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Care to share?"

"No. It's nothing of pressing importance."

Fred stalked to his trunk and pulled out some clothes.

"So," George began, "have you talked to anyone recently?"

Fred pulled on his jeans and looked at George, "what are you getting at?"

"I was just wondering if you had spoken to a certain someone of the female persuasion who happened to look smoking in the grey dress she wore last night."

"Oh," Fred mused as he slipped on a sweater. "I might have. I might have not," he said running his fingers through his hair and leaving the dormitories and heading down the steps.

"Fred? Fred! Fred wait up!" George sputtered chasing after his brother. "What did she say? Was she mad? Does she want me? Is she jealous? Does she want to rip my head or my clothes off?"

Fred stopped in the middle of the flight of steps and looked at George.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Fred rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Oh come on, Fred. Don't give me the cold shoulder," he said grabbing his twin by the shoulder before he could enter the great hall.

"I did talk to her, okay?! Geez just lay off of it already," Fred said pushing George's hand off his shoulder. "And it would probably be in yours and her best interest if you left her alone." He turned and entered the dining room.

"Alright then, Mr. Diggory," George mocked under his breath. _Wonder what has his wand in a knot?_ George thought as he walked to his usual spot at the Gryffindor table. When he got closer to the table, Harper hid her face in her hair and Fred glared at him, but much to his surprise, Onyx smiled at him warmly and greeted him with a cheery "Good morning, George."

He was really confused. "Good morning?"

Onyx gave a small laugh.

_What on earth is going on?! She should want to kill me if she knew. I'm sure she knows by now that Harper found out. Unless, unless, wait. No. That could have never worked. Could it have?_ George snuck a look at Onyx.

She was looking at him with a smile on her face.

_Could she really be jealous?_

Onyx batted her eyelashes.

_I'll take that as she wants to rip my clothes and not my head off!_

"So, um. How are you?" George asked her.

"I'm fine. A little tired and my feet hurt a little bit, but other than that, I'm fine," Onyx answered.

"That's good. Wouldn't want your feet falling off," George offered as he served himself a large helping of pasta and proceeded to shovel it into his mouth.

While George was pigging out, Fred shot Onyx a questioning look. Since George was hardly paying attention, Onyx mouthed "I'll tell you later" and Fred nodded.

Lunch, thankfully in everyone's mind, went on without any more drama. Harper was the first to leave the table.

"See you upstairs after you meet with Cedric, okay?" she asked Onyx as she left.

Onyx nodded in response, her mouth full of food for the moment.

George watched her leave. Her hair was still a little done-up from the night before, as if she had slept in it, not caring how it looked in the morning. That was so like her. Her make-up was still on, too. Fred caught his twin mid-stare.

"Being a creeper won't help you win her back, you know," he said matter-of-factly.

Both George and Onyx looked at him. George went a little red in the face.

"I wasn't being a creeper," he said defensively.

"Nor are you going to win her back," Onyx said brightly.

"I don't really want to," George said slowly, staring at her, confusion beginning to set in. What was Onyx trying to say? She shouldn't want George to want Harper. It was all wrong!

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Fred asked, trying to keep the peace. "I had hoped we could make it at least two days before this came up."

Onyx looked at George. "Oh, it's fine, Fred," she said finally. "We can give it two days."

"Thank you," Fred said, sounding relieved. "Now, are you going to finish that ice cream?"

She slid the bowl over to him and then stood up. "I gotta go. See you guys later."

"Good luck with Cedric," Fred wished her.

"Thanks," she said not sounding very sure. "I'm going to need it. Bye, Fred."

"Why didn't she say good-bye to me?" George asked as she walked away from the table.

"You aren't seriously asking that, are you?" Fred had to laugh. He knew that the two of them were rather brilliant in their own way, but when it came to common sense, it seemed that George was fairly daft. "They're both pretty mad at you for that brilliant stunt you pulled."

"Onyx is not acting upset; I don't see why she should be. It really had nothing to do with her," George argued, trying to convince his twin as well as himself. The guilt was beginning to kick in at this point, now that he saw how badly the girls were taking it.

"Well _she_ doesn't feel that way," Fred said bitterly. "She feels like it's her fault entirely."

George stared at Fred. "But, but why?" he sputtered in disbelief. "It had nothing to do with her! I was just using Harper to get to her, that's all. She was in no way involved! Why would she feel guilty over _that_?"

Fred raised his eyebrows. "You are daft, aren't you?"

George hesitated. Perhaps he didn't know Onyx as well as he thought he did. He probably miscalculated Harper's reaction by a mile as well. "I made a right bloody mess of this, didn't I?"

Fred looked at him dubiously. "No, of course not!" he said, sounding as if it were a crazy idea. "Things worked out perfectly well for you. They don't really hate you, that's just an act. You have nothing to be afraid of. In fact, I'm sure that they're both up in our room right now, waiting for you because they're both so crazy about you." He gave his twin a crooked smile. "Things are such a bloody mess for you right now that I don't think I heard Harper make one peep all day long. And I don't even _know_ what Onyx is up to."

George slumped back in his seat, defeated. So his plan didn't work at all. Blast it. He had been so sure that it would, that it had. He had been stupid to that it was a good idea. Onyx was far too enamored with Cedric to pay any other boy any attention whatsoever, least of all him. And Harper… Harper had turned out to be more than he bargained for. She was far more than he ever thought she was. She could almost be as fun as Onyx sometimes, which was saying something.

"Now you're feeling bad, aren't you?" Fred smiled. "I knew you had a conscious in there somewhere."

"You're enjoying this far too much, beloved brother," George snapped. "You do realize there is more at stake here than just _my_ heart, right?"

Fred sighed as he stood up from the table. "George, that's what I told you at the very beginning."

Onyx was inexplicably nervous about meeting with Cedric, which was probably not a good thing. Things were supposed to be natural between them, not feel forced. She quickly shook these thoughts out of her head as she saw Cedric approach her. She put a smile on her face as he bent down for a kiss. "Hey you," she greeted him.

"Hi." He shifted feet uncomfortably. "So, I want to take you somewhere."

She gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

He didn't answer, but instead took her hand and began to lead her up the stairs.

"Ced, where are we going?" she asked him, getting worried at this point. He was going to take her to the highest tower and then push her down the stairs, she just knew it. "Listen, if you want to talk we can just go to the fountain or the kitchens or something, I really don't mind."

He laughed a little bit but kept pulling her along.

"Ced, you're starting to worry me. Where are we going?" she asked more urgently.

"It's fine, just relax!" he chuckled. "There's no reason to be worried."

She wasn't convinced. Not helping abate the feeling at all, Cedric promptly blindfolded her and pushed her down a dark corridor.

"I don't like this. I really don't," she muttered. She clung to Cedric's hand for dear life as he led her further up and up the stairwell. "You aren't going to tell me where we're going, are you?"

"Nope."

She could hear him smiling. "You're enjoying this far too much. Are we there yet?"

"Just about. Maybe if you stopped worrying so much you'd allow yourself to trust me."

That shut her up. "But I do trust you."

"Then act like it every once in awhile."

"Well it's not every day I'm blindfolded and dragged to my doom," she retorted.

"Is that where you think we're going? To your doom?" He let out a small chuckle. "You are a silly girl, did you know that?"

"I do now."

"I am not leading you to your doom, Onyx," he assured her. "I just want to show you something and talk."

"Why couldn't you just talk to me downstairs instead of dragging me up seven flights?"

"Because it's important," he stated simply as if that was the only answer she needed.

"Well fine." She paused as they continued making their way up the stairway. "I trust you."

"Good," he said, sounding much happier. "We're here anyway."

She frowned. "But where is 'here'?"

He let go of her arm.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked, panic rising.

"Away." He paused to glance at her as she panicked even more. "But I'll be right back."

She relaxed slightly. "Just so long as you're coming back to me."

He came back to peck her cheek. "Always. Ready?"

"Of course! Where are we going?" she asked, relieved that she was finally finished climbing the stairs.

"In here." And suddenly he was grabbing her shoulders and leading her forward. She could see it getting darker through her blindfold. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Yes!" Her patience was wearing thin and now that she knew that he wasn't going to throw her down the stairs, she was starting to get nervous but in a good way. She felt his hands untie the blindfold and pull it away from her face. She blinked to get used to the light and then gasped. There were candles lit all over the room. They were on tables, on the floor, near chairs. Then in the middle of the room sat a table set for two, with two puffy seats on each end.

"Ced, what is this?" she asked breathlessly.

"Surprise!" He led her over to a chair, pulled it out and let her sit down before walking around and sitting in the opposite seat.

"I thought you said you wanted to talk, though," she said, suddenly recalling what he had said earlier.

He poured her some water. "Well, I do," he started. "But it's not so pressing anymore. I've given it some thought and I've cooled down a bit since last night."

She gave him an appraising look. "Are you sure about that?"

He nodded. "Pretty sure. I originally wanted to discuss your relationship with other guys."

Onyx scoffed. "That's ridiculous, I don't have relationships with anyone else but you!"

"A relationship is any sort of relation you have with another person. You have plenty of other relationships with plenty of other people, a lot of them guys," Cedric pointed out. "And it kind of makes me jealous."

_Fred was right! _She thought to herself. _I can't believe it. Ced's jealous! _"Ced, you know I would never do anything…"

"I know, I know," he said, holding up a hand to stop her from talking. "Initially I was jealous but then I gave it some thought and realized that you honestly can't help it. Guys are just drawn to you. You just have that personality, you were born with it."

"Um, thanks?" Onyx said, for lack of a better word.

He gave a bitter smile. "I suppose it could be taken as a compliment in a way. It would be different if you took advantage of the fact but for some reason you seem to shy away from boys in general. Except for me, of course."

"Of course."

"I'm sorry," he suddenly blurted.

"For what?" she asked, taken aback. This whole situation was getting really complicated.

"For the way I acted last night," he said shamefully. "I let my jealousy get the best of me, and then the worst of me showed. Some of the things I've been hearing have me worried."

She reached across the table and took his hand. "Ced, you have nothing to be jealous about. I'm not going anywhere with anybody else."

He gave her a smile. "Well, that's a load off my mind. Now, I also think that we should spend some more uninterrupted alone time together. Just, you know, in case."

She cracked a wry smile. "If you insist," she sighed dramatically.

"Oh I insist."

She hesitated. "So, what do you want to do now?"

He gave a shrug. "I'm not quite sure. I didn't really plan that far ahead. I was so certain that you would get upset at me and leave that there was no use for further conversation."

She laughed little bit. "What is there to be upset about?"

"Like I said, I didn't plan this out very well." He looked around the room and then some smooth music began playing. Next came a fireplace with a loveseat in front of it.

She raised her eyebrows. "What was that about not planning ahead?"

"It's called thinking on your feet," he said, getting up and offering her his arm. "Come on." He led her over to the sofa and they flopped down.

"This is comfy," she commented, for lack of anything else to say.

Awkward silence.

He scooted over a little closer to her and she had to laugh.

"Why is this so awkward?" he burst out.

"Well, A. we're alone. Like, alone alone," Onyx began. "B. Nobody knows where we are so they can't burst in on us and C." she paused. "I don't actually have a C but you know what I mean."

Cedric sat back and thought about this. "I suppose you're right." He didn't sound very happy about it.

To comfort him, she rested her hand on his knee. "Is this too awkward for you?" she joked.

"Nope." He took her hand and moved it up on his leg.

She made a face at him but kept still. Grinning, he leaned in to kiss her.

"See, it's not so awkward, what were you worried about?"

"You were the one who said it was awkward!" she reminded him.

He smirked. "I know."

She kissed his nose. "You're so silly sometimes."

"I don't feel like getting silly right now."

She sat back. "Cedric Diggory, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"I have a feeling it was highly inappropriate," she said slowly, not really sure if she wanted to know what he meant or not.

"Nope, not at all."

She studied him with appraising eyes. "I'm not quite sure if I believe you or not."

He got a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I just might have to show you, in that case."

"I don't think I like that idea very much," Onyx told him.

"Well too bad. You have to deal with it," he told her, grabbing her around the waist.

"Cedric!" she squealed as he started kissing her.

"What?" he asked, sounding hurt. "Can't you shut up and let me kiss you?"

This left her speechless and he took advantage.

"Exactly," he said, continuing the action. He was acting more aggressive than usual, something she did not fail to notice, considering the fact that he was now on top of her. Not helping the situation at all, a bed suddenly popped up in the middle of the room.

"Okay, I _know_ I wasn't thinking about that," she said, staring at the thing.

"Thinking about what?" Cedric sat up and looked around. His face reddened when he saw the bed. "Oh."

She raised her eyebrows.

"You know I would never put you in that type of situation!" he sputtered. "It's just that we're here, and you're here, and then we're doing this and my thoughts just connected this to that and ran off and… sorry," he finished lamely.

Much to his surprise, she began to smile. She jumped off the couch, tore off her sweatshirt, and sat on the bed. She patted the spot next to her. "There's a spot here with your name on it," she said silkily.

He sat there, mouth agape. Then she started laughing so hard that she had to lay down.

"Ced, you have to know me better than that!" she told him. "I'm not a skank."

He got off the couch and came over, pinning her arms to her side. "Then you shouldn't tease me like that," he told her softly. He automatically went for her ear, much to her dismay. She squirmed away, laughing hysterically.

"Ced, no!" she laughed. "That tickles!"

"You're ticklish?" he asked, sounding amazed. "I never knew that."

"Wait, no I'm not!" she said, realizing what ammunition she had just given him. "I'm not ticklish at all. I promise, it's just my earlobe. And now it's worn off. Oh darn, no more tickling."

"I don't believe you," he said stoutly. "I firmly believe that you are, in fact, quite ticklish."

"Nope, not ticklish. Sorry."

"Oh really?" he asked teasingly. He suddenly attacked her neck, making her so weak that she practically fell off the bed.

"Ced, cut it out!" she squealed.

"Never," he said breathily capturing her lips in a kiss.

Meanwhile, Harper was hanging around the common room when Hermione and Ginny came in.

"Hey Harps," Hermione greeted her, "you dodged out of lunch so quick I didn't have a chance to ask you about last night."

"Oh," Harper said, mood completely deflating. She had managed to not really think about the incident all day long, something that was quite surprising considering how she usually dwelled on things such as this. "How did you find out?"

"George is my brother after all," Ginny observed.

"I figured you'd really be wanting to talk about it," Hermione continued, sitting down on the couch next to her, Ginny following suit.

"Yeah, especially since it's your first heartbreak and all," Ginny added.

"Woot," Harper said dully, sounding unamused.

"Oh come on, buck up," Ginny said, her teasing air disappearing. "George is a git and always has been. I'm just surprised you've put up with him this long."

"Quite frankly, so am I," Harper admitted, slouching back into the seat. "You know what the worst part is?"

Both Hermione and Ginny shook their heads, expecting her to say something about wanting to kill him.

She looked a little sheepish. "I kind of miss hanging out with him."

Hermione's jaw dropped while Ginny gave an incredulous laugh.

"There is no way you could possibly miss him," she said reasonably. "You just miss the attention he was giving you. He's is incredibly easy to live without, trust me."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'm sure that you just miss the noise."

Harper shrugged. "Perhaps," she conceded. "But we had become really good friends over the past few months so it's weird not having him around."

"He's technically still around," Ginny pointed out.

"You know what I mean. It's weird not _wanting_ him around."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You want him around?"

"No, I don't want him around," she snapped, knowing exactly what Ginny was thinking. "Don't even start that with me right now. Boys suck."

"Well not all boys…" Hermione started slowly.

"Yes all boys," Harper told her. "In some way, shape or form, all boys sucks. Just maybe not all the time. But mark my words—"

"Can we get back on subject?" Ginny asked impatiently. "What are you going to do about George?"

Harper looked a little annoyed at the interruption. "Nothing. What is there to do?"

"Get revenge!" Ginny shrieked as though it were the most obvious answer in the world and it was annoying her how long it had taken Harper to understand. "You have to get back at him! Go out with some other guy! Totally ignore him! Make him realize that he really loved you all along!"

Harper and Hermione rolled their eyes.

"That's not going to happen, Ginny," Harper said, realistic as ever. "I do like the ignoring idea, though…"

"No, that's a bad idea," Hermione told her. "The best thing to do is act like nothing happened."

That earned her two stares from her friends. "What?" she asked. "That would mess with his head like nothing else."

"Ah," Ginny said, nodding appreciatively. "Yes, that would most certainly mess him up. Oh man, this is gonna be great. I can just imagine how confused he'll be when she walks up to him and is all, Hey George, what's up?" She laughed at the thought. "Or!" Her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. "What if you… that would be epic. It would take a lot of work on your part, but it would totally be worth it." She gazed off, still thinking. Hermione and Harper exchanged glances.

"Ginny, what are you talking about?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"You should play along," Ginny told Harper.

"With what?"

"The whole liking you thing. You should pretend it worked and that you really like him!" Ginny's eyes were wide with excitement at the prospect of making her brother miserable.

But Harper was already shaking her head. "No way. I'm not going to do that. First off, I don't want to give him that satisfaction, and secondly, I would have no clue how to act."

"Oh, its easy," Ginny scoffed. "Just be really flirty."

"Um."

Ginny gave her an incredulous look. "You're not really a girl, are you?"

"Anyways," Hermione cut in. "That plan clearly isn't going to work. I say you just ignore him until you feel ready to deal with it. Also, the silent treatment can be very effective."

"True," Harper admitted. "But so far it's done nothing."

"Well yeah," Ginny said. "It's only the day after. Let it sink in for awhile. George is a little like you, he lets things eat at him. Don't worry, it'll start bothering him by tomorrow."

"If you say so," Harper sighed, not sounding convinced.

"Oh, I know so," Ginny assured her. "I've only known him my whole life."

"So it's settled," Hermione announced. "You're going to ignore him."

"I guess," Harper said, not sounding too convinced. "I really don't think it's going to do anything though. I don't even know what I _want _it to do."

"Hurt him. Cut him to pieces. Make him realize he loves you," Ginny began rattling off the objectives by counting off her fingers.

"You can stop saying that, you know," Harper said sulkily. "It's really not funny.

"I think it's hilarious. George, falling in love!" Ginny began cracking up hysterically.

"So, Hermione, how was the dance for you?" Harper asked, trying to ignore Ginny.

Much to her surprise, Hermione blushed a little bit. "Well, nothing really happened. We went, we danced, we left and that was it. I think Harry was worried about Ron's reaction."

"Which was?" Harper prodded while Ginny continued giggling.

Hermione shrugged. "I never really saw Ron so I have no clue. I think Harry was trying to avoid him a little."

Harper considered this as the twins suddenly burst into the common room. They slammed the portrait door behind them, and fell back against it, gasping for breath.

"Do you think he saw where we went?" George asked, sounding winded.

Fred shook his head. "We were going too fast and he was still doubled over. It won't take him very long to figure it out, though. We need an alibi." He looked around and spotted the girls. "Hi."

"What are you two up to?" Hermione accused in a disapproving voice.

"Nothing," Fred said quickly in a voice that told them that they had most certainly been up to something.

"Exactly. We weren't giving Malfoy any candy. And that candy didn't make his tongue swell up," George added as he and Fred began sidling over to the stairs.

"You gave him some of your candy?" Hermione gasped.

"No! Didn't you just hear me? We _didn't _give him candy," George told her.

"And we're also lying," Fred added. "See ya!" With that, he and George bolted up the stairs before Hermione could yell at them anymore.

"Well, that was easy," Harper mused. "I didn't have to make a show of ignoring him at all."

Ginny made a face. "We need to kick this into high gear," she muttered. "At this rate he won't realize he loves you until the next century."

"Do you _mind_?" Harper cried in frustration. Ginny just laughed.

"You'll get your chance soon enough," Hermione said, calming down from her run-in with the twins. "So, who's doing what for holiday?" she asked, wanting a change of subject.

"Going home," Ginny said, squirming around until she was laying down on the couch.

"What are you doing, Harps?"

Harper was forced to shrug. "I have no clue. My parents are going on a cruise but won't get me a ticket so I'm probably going to stick around here with Onyx."

"Lucky," Ginny muttered. "I'm going to be stuck with the git and his twin."

"Actually, I am probably going to be stuck here alone because as soon as he finds out, Cedric will ask Onyx to go home with him," Harper suddenly realized.

"You think he will?" Hermione wondered.

"Duh," Ginny quipped. "Why wouldn't he? He's only crazy about her."

"See?" Harper added. "I'm going to be left alone in a huge drafty castle. No fun at all. I'm going to be alone. I am destined to be alone forever. And I'm going to get old and have ninety six cats who don't even like me. I don't even like cats! They smell bad and shed and kill little animals and leave them on your porch!"

"Harper, stop freaking out. You are only sixteen for crying out loud," Hermione said in attempt to calm Harper down.

"So? I can predict the future and it says that I'm going to be alone forever! The only time guys pay any attention to me is to get to my best friend! I'm going to die alone with 96 cats and a smelly porch." She looked close to tears at this point, which was making Ginny feel bad.

"Okay Harper, calm down. You won't die alone so stop thinking about it," she soothed. "You'll have all your cats!"

Harper glared at her while Hermione hissed, "Not helping!"

"Harper, you can't let one stupid boy ruin your hope in love like this," Hermione reprimanded. "Because that's all he is, a stupid boy."

Harper sniffed. "He is just a stupid boy, isn't he?"

Both Hermione and Ginny nodded, the latter a bit too fervently.

"I hate boys," she muttered. "I wish I could make them all disappear off the face of the earth."

Ginny started giggling so the other two looked at her. "What?"

"Then we'd need to be hermaphrodites," she snickered.

Harper sighed and hit Ginny with one of the pillows from the couch. "Fine, then we'll keep them for mating purposes only."

There was a slight pause, and then all three of them burst out laughing simultaneously.

Back in the Room of Requirement, things had lightened up a bit. Instead of what was going down on the bed, Cedric and Onyx were sitting in front of the fireplace simply talking. Onyx had felt bad about telling Fred about her life when she hadn't said a single word about it to Cedric. He was extremely surprised to find out about her home life.

"Wow," he stated, "you never would have guessed by looking at you; you have it all together."

"Most of the time," Onyx clarified.

Cedric wrapped his arm around her waist. It was silent for a while, aside for the music. Onyx rested her head on Cedric's shoulder. It was comfortable. More comfortable than she thought it would be. She sighed in contentment.

"You okay?" he asked, mistaking her contentment for discomfort.

"Mmhm," she murmured. "I'm just fine. This is comfortable. We should do this more often."

"That's what I've been saying!" he said exasperatedly. "We need more one on one time."

"I wholeheartedly agree," she told him, snuggling deeper into his shoulder. "This should be a number one priority." She felt him lay his head on hers. She caught a whiff of whatever he was wearing. "You smell nice," she said dreamily.

He gave a small chuckle. "Why thank you." He closed his eyes. "Your hair is soft."

"I should hope so," she said. "I washed it just for you."

"It's not straight like it usually is," he commented.

"That's because it's naturally curly, silly."

"It is?" He sounded genuinely surprised then there was a slight pause as he took a curl and began twisting it around his finger. "I like it."

"Well then in that case, I'll keep it," she joked.

"Please do." He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers once again. "This is so comfy I could fall asleep," he commented.

"What? Did you say something?" she asked after a minute.

He smiled to himself. "No, nothing important."

"Everything you say is important," she said softly.

"You're just saying that because I'm your boyfriend."

"Of course not," she told him, sounding hurt amidst the sleepiness.

"I'm only kidding," he assured her.

"Good," she said quietly. He was pretty certain that she fell asleep after that. Still smiling to himself, he closed his eyes and felt immediately at peace.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note: **We just broke over a thousand views. Thank you very much to everyone reading! It means so much to us! IKhandoZatman, sweet sweet revenge; it only gets sweeter. And no, nothing nasty has gone on between Cedric and Onyx. At least not yet.__ Carry on._

It was Wednesday now. Harper and the rest of the girls were aptly ignoring the twins, even though Fred was trying with the utmost delicacy to earn their trust back. He hung around them at breakfast, ate with them at lunch, and even went as far as to ignore his twin when he was with the girls. This severely irked George but he had to hand it to Fred because the girls certainly didn't seem angry at him anymore. He appeared to be back in The Circle.

George wanted back in The Circle but he knew it would take a whole lot more than eating with them to make them happy. The only question was: what did he need to do? He decided the one thing that ought to be on the top of his list was making it up to Harper. Which brought up another question: WHAT could he do to make it up to her?

He needed to talk to Fred. He knew for sure that his twin would have the scoop since he was pretty much the only boy that hung out with Harper and Onyx. Well. Except for Cedric. Cedric had been like Velcro on Onyx for the past few days. It was making both Fred and George sick, the schmaltziness of it all. He followed her to class, sat with her at meals… he was even carrying her books for her. That was so old school and sickening. What's more is that both Fred and George could tell that Onyx wasn't one for the coddling. She liked it at first but they could see that it got real old, real fast. It seemed to annoy Harper the most, seeing as how George caught her rolling her eyes each time Cedric hurriedly snatched up Onyx's stuff before they went off to class.

And each time he hurried to sit next to her at meals.

And in class.

And how he always showed up at the Gryffindor common room.

And how he never left Onyx's side.

Ever.

It was really starting to piss Harper off. She couldn't really spend much time with Onyx anymore because Cedric was always there. She only half-minded however because she could tell that Onyx was happy, which was the most important thing after all. But even so, Harper had a bad feeling that Onyx was about to be smothered if this continued but every time she tried to mention it, Onyx just gushed about how exceptional Cedric was to her so Harper just gave up. Why bother Onyx with her misgivings? It would probably upset her anyway.

So Harper kept silent, only complaining about it with Fred because he seemed to be the only one who understood and agreed with her. She sensed that Fred didn't like it for an entirely different reason, however, though she kept silent about that too. She seemed to be the only one who picked up on that, anyway, and she didn't want to be the one to open up another can of worms. Sitting silent was proving more and more difficult, however, as they sat down to lunch and Cedric politely nudged between Harper and Onyx to sit next to his girlfriend. Harper rolled her eyes as usual, but something caught her eye mid-roll.

George was looking at her roll her eyes and smirked when he saw that she noticed him watching. She made a face at him and sat down on Onyx other side, in full-on Ignore George mode. George had been trying to get on back on her good side ever since she fled the dance but she was determined to never speak with him again. So far, so good. She shook George out of her head as she started to listen in as a conversation buzzed around her. Apparently, Fred was going on about how Cedric was 'whipped'.

"I'm just saying, no self-respecting man would willingly carry a girl's books for her unless she told him to because he's whipped or because he's begging for forgiveness for something he did," Fred was saying, stabbing the butter with his knife for emphasis.

Harper snorted into her salad as both Fred and George cracked up alongside Harry and Ron. Cedric, however, took it all in stride.

"I am not whipped," he had to say loudly over the laughter. "I carry her books by choice because I want to, not because she told me or because I'm begging for forgiveness." He took Onyx's hand and kissed the back of it. "I just worship the ground that she walks on."

This shut everyone up, except for Hermione, Ginny and Onyx. They all seemed to swoon on the spot. Fred and George threw each other a look of utter disbelief and then pretended to throw up.

"I think…" George stuttered. "I think something really did come up," he said, wiping his mouth after taking a long swig of pumpkin juice. "That was disgusting."

"What, did you taste all the bitterness of years gone past?" Ginny asked dryly, pouring some dressing onto her salad.

He made a face at her as Fred scoffed.

"No, it's just truly that disgusting."

"Oh Fred, you're just jealous," Cedric chuckled knowingly.

Fred gaped at him. "Jealous of your whipped action? I don't think so, Pretty Boy. I'm too attached to my manhood, thank you very much."

Harper grinned into the rest of her salad. "Manhood," she snickered. "As if you had any to begin with."

"Harper!" George exclaimed. "Do not dare question the manhood of my twin! If he has no manhood, then I don't either and well… well… that's simply not true."

Onyx, who had remained mute throughout the whole conversation, finally cracked up. "Why are we talking about manhood at lunch? This is the least appropriate conversation EVER!"

"She started it," George accused, pointing a finger at Harper.

"Right, good plan, mate," Fred told him. "Get on her good side by pointing fingers."

"Well what do you suggest? Should I start carrying her books?"

"That's what I do," Cedric chirped.

"Yes, Pretty Boy, we know," Fred sighed.

"Harper…" George started as an idea struck him. "Why don't you come to our house for holiday instead?"

"No," she said flatly, speaking to him for the time in weeks.

"Actually Harps, I'd been meaning to talk to you about that. Since neither of us have a place to go over Christmas, we should go stay with the Weasley's," Onyx proposed.

Harper considered this, knowing full well that staying at the Weasley's would mean spending holiday at the same place George Weasley would be staying. Not only that, but it would be at his house. Where he lived.

"Okay," she said brightly. "Who else is going?"

Onyx looked around the table. "Well the Weasley's, of course."

"We do live there, after all," Ginny teased.

"And Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Onyx finished, choosing to ignore the youngest Weasley.

George looked at each of the faces around him. "I didn't know about this party at our place. Why didn't anybody tell me?"

The answer was simple. "We didn't want you to know," Ginny told him, not looking up from her salad because she didn't deem the conversation important enough.

George sputtered indignantly. "Didn't want me to know?" he repeated. "Why ever not?"

"Because you're annoying, dear brother," Ginny stated. "And we didn't want to advertise the fact that Harper would be staying with us for a whole three weeks."

Harper looked up from her own salad. "A whole three weeks?"

Onyx raised her eyebrows. "You didn't realize that Christmas vacation lasts three weeks?" she laughed.

"No! Has it always been that way? The whole time we've been at Hogwarts? A whole three weeks?" Harper squeaked. She didn't know why, but it hadn't occurred to her that she would be spending a whole month at the Burrow. A whole three weeks with the Weasley's. Three weeks with George Weasley. She was going to be stuck in a house with George Weasley. Would she really be able to ignore him for that long? Would she be able to put _up_ with him for that long?

Hopefully.

"Freaking out over spending a whole entire three weeks with me?" George asked flirtatiously.

"Of course not!" Fred told him. "She's freaking out over spending a whole entire three weeks with _me_."

Harper rolled her eyes, as did Onyx and Hermione. Ginny opted to ignore the statement entirely.

"Or perhaps she was just overcome with excitement at the idea of spending a whole three weeks with us," Hermione pointed out.

"Or perhaps she was just freaking out over spending a whole entire three weeks with me," George repeated.

"Or perhaps we should all finish up and head off to class," Cedric interrupted, eyeing the rest of the school rising from their tables and gathering their books.

"Good idea," Onyx approved. "Come on, gang. Let's go. We only have a few more classes till the end of the day."

Grudgingly, the rest of them rose out of their seats, stuffing the last few bites of food into their mouths before they dispersed into academia. Cedric caught Onyx's arm as the rest of them began to leave.

"Onyx, can I talk to you about something?" he asked very quietly.

"Yeah, Cedric. What's up?"

He hesitated, as though he wanted to say something but didn't want to say it. "It's about your trip to the Weasley's," he began.

She gave him a quizzical look. "What about it?"

"Why didn't you ask to have holiday with me? I know my parents wouldn't mind having you over and I certainly wouldn't mind having you all to myself for thirty days," he told her, wrapping an arm around her as they began the trek to class.

"Ced!" she laughed, playfully hitting him. "I appreciate the offer but I already told the Weasley's that I would go with them. Now Harper's even coming, I can't back out now. I'm sorry, Ced." She did look genuinely sorry.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well what's done is done. I just wish you had asked me first."

Onyx fell silent. Now she felt bad. She didn't realize that Cedric might not _like_ the idea of her spending holiday with the Weasley's. It wasn't her fault that Fred asked her before Cedric did. Cedric hadn't even mentioned Christmas until just now. She could hardly be held accountable. She didn't really have much time to explain herself further because they had reached her first class.

"I'll see you later," he told her, handing over her books and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, Ced," she said weakly, watching him leave before entering the room.

The rest of the semester passed quickly, with Onyx feeling slightly guilty and Harper feeling apprehensive. Nevertheless, they both felt the excitement once they started packing.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Onyx said suddenly, in the middle of folding a shirt. "This is probably going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Harper grinned, zipping up her bag. "You don't think he'll try anything funny, do you?" she questioned. "Because I don't want that to spoil everyone else's holiday, me getting all upset over him."

"Aw Harps, don't worry," Onyx assured her. "The rest of us will keep you distracted. You won't even need to see him if you don't want to. You can keep on ignoring like you have been."

Harper smiled to herself. "Yeah because ignoring him has been _so_ fun."

Onyx threw her a side glance. "Is that sarcasm I sense?"

"Just a little bit," Harper admitted sheepishly.

"I knew it," Onyx crowed triumphantly.

"Yeah yeah, well don't tell him because then he'll win."

"No I'm pretty sure he's still the loser in this game," Onyx announced. "Are you done packing yet or not?"

"Been done."

"Great. Now let's go downstairs so we're not late."

They both grabbed their belongings and ran down the stairs into the common room. Thankfully they weren't late because they were still waiting on Ginny.

"Typical," Ron muttered. "She's always the last one ready."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of women, little brother," George said, slapping him on the back.

Finally Ginny came down and then they rushed with all of the other students going on holiday down to Hogsmeade so that they could take the train to 9 ¾. It was while waiting on the platform for the train to initially arrive that they ran into none other than Cedric Diggory. Onyx was elated because she was worried that she wasn't going to be able to say good-bye to her boyfriend before they left.

"Cedric!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck once she saw him. "I'm so glad you're here, I was afraid I wouldn't see you for another month!"

He gave her a kiss. "Listen, you have to promise me that you'll see me sometime during holiday," he said earnestly. "Christmas Eve. Promise me you'll spend Christmas Eve with me."

She looked at him, wanting to say yes but knowing that the chances of her getting to the Diggory's from the Burrow was very minimal. "Ced, I…"

"Come on, Onyx," he pleaded. "Just one night. One night out of thirty. Please?"

She ran the scenarios through her head, each one less likely than the one before it. How would she be able to leave the Burrow? But she watched his face and saw the pleading in it and knew there was only one acceptable answer.

"Okay Ced," she told him, forcing a smile. "I'll do my best."

"Atta girl," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, can I sit with you guys on the way home?"

"You read my mind! I was just about to ask you to join us."

"Will the others mind?" he asked somewhat reservedly.

She gave him a weird look. "Of course not, why would you ask such a thing?"

He offered a weak smile. "I'm just worried they'll get bored of me is all."

"Oh come now, Ced," she said. "How could anybody get tired of you?" She took his hand and led him onto the train where she had seen everybody else board. The train ride went by too quickly, what with the jokes and anticipation for Christmas. It passed by too quickly for Onyx and Cedric, however, so they decided to make up for it by making out.

This, however, thoroughly disgusted al l the others.

"Can't we banish them to another compartment?" Fred complained, looking over at the love birds in distaste.

"Hey, you two," George hollered over to them. "You've been voted off the island."

Onyx came up for air. "Voted off the island?"

"Yes, now leave, imbeciles," Fred ordered, jabbing his thumb towards the door.

"Fine," Cedric said somewhat haughtily. He took Onyx's hand. "We'll find somewhere more private."

"Like where?" Onyx asked as he opened the door for her.

"Our own island."

All the others heard was her laughing as the door closed behind them.

A few hours later, the train finally pulled into the station. There they met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who then loaded them in a car that looked nothing like the Ford Anglica the girls thought they had. Harper noticed that Harry and Ron shared the same red look as they approached the car.

Finally, after a few entertaining hours of driving where Mrs. Weasley demanded that they let her in on all the gossip and checked that they were all eating well, Harper and Onyx saw it – the Burrow.

Mrs. Weasley bustled them all indoors and even went as far as to make Fred and George carry all of Harper and Onyx's luggage.

"What do you have in here, bricks?" Fred gasped as he carried Onyx's bag all the way up the staircase.

Onyx laughed. "No, I just brought my bowling ball collection."

He almost dropped her bag in shock. "Bowling balls?"

"Relax, Fred. She didn't bring the whole thing," Harper assured him, squeezing past him because his pace was too slow. It had been decided in the car that Hermione and Ginny would be in Ginny's room while Harper and Onyx stayed in Fred and George's room, and the twins were banished to Percy's room since Percy wasn't coming home for holiday. Ron teased them, warning that if there was so much as a wrinkle on the bedspread when they left, Percy would be sure to have a cow next time he came home. Most fortunately, Fred and George's room wasn't at the top of the house like Ron's was so Fred didn't have to suffer with the bowling balls for too long.

"Here you go," he said, opening the door and dumping the bag unceremoniously on the threshold. "Don't burn the room up, if you don't mind."

"Oh come on, Fred, why not?" Harper asked, jumping over Onyx's bag and eyeing the bedroom.

"Because I happen to like it the way it is."

"You mean we can't redecorate?" Onyx gasped. "I brought my paint, too, just in case I was feeling artistic."

"If you really get the urge, you can go paint up Ronnie's room," George said, sticking his head in while dumping Harper's bag on Onyx's. "I'm sure he'd love some vibrant magenta in there."

Further conversation was halted however, as Mrs. Weasley called them all down for dinner. Obediently, all of the children ran down the stairs to grab the good seats. Harper and Onyx somehow got the seats across from Fred and George.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to feel as though she hadn't heard enough gossip on the car ride and insisted that they tell her the rest.

"So," she began, passing the rolls over to Harry. "Who is dating who?"

They all froze and looked at her.

"Pardon?" Onyx asked right as Fred and George yelled, "Onyx's dating Diggory!" in unison.

Mrs. Weasley practically clapped her hands in excitement. "Cedric?" she squealed. "You're dating Cedric Diggory? Is he a good kisser?"

"Mum!" Ron cried out in horror.

"What? It is a perfectly valid question."

Onyx tried hard not to blush as George commented that Cedric's hair had been askew when he left the train earlier that day, after he and Onyx had been banished. Harper kicked him under the table.

"Ouch!" He picked up a roll and threw it in her direction but she expertly dodged and then resumed ignoring him, turning instead to her chicken tender salad.

"George! No food fights at the table!" Mrs. Weasley screeched indignantly.

"But Mum, she started it!"

His mother narrowed her eyes. "She threw invisible lettuce at you without the rest of us knowing?"

Everyone else at the table had to laugh at this.

"Anyways," Mrs. Weasley continued. "How long have you been seeing Cedric, Onyx?"

"Too long," Fred muttered under his breath.

"Um," Onyx said, trying to think back that far. "Since first term."

"Aw." Mrs. Weasley rested her chin in her hands, gazing dreamily into the distance. "Young love."

"And on that note, I'm going to finish my dinner," George announced, digging into his salad.

"Shall we alert the media?" Ginny teased.

"Yes and you may inform them that I will be taking a shower right after this," he informed her with a mouthful of lettuce.

"Right, like they'd want a camera for that," Onyx rolled her eyes.

"No, that would be you," he shot back.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley reprimanded. "She has a boyfriend!"She then turned to Harper. "What about you, dear?"

Harper, who had been barely listening to the conversation, jerked her head up in surprise. "What about me?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Harper practically spit out the swallow of juice she had just taken. "Me? A boyfriend?" she laughed, wiping her mouth. "Please. Who would date me?"

"Harper's too ugly to get a guy," George snickered alongside Fred, remembering their joke.

"George!"

They all jumped at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice. She was standing now, looking utterly furious at her son. "Don't you dare say that to her again! Do you even realize what does to a girl's self-esteem?"

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley, it's no big deal," Harper hastened to George's defense. "Really, I don't have any self-esteem anyway."

"It's true," Onyx supplied helpfully.

"Be that as it may," Mrs. Weasley seethed. "You had better not say that ever again, George, do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She sat back down. "Now then, where were we?"

"Dinner," Fred suggested.

The rest of which passed by quite peacefully. Afterwards, Onyx and Harper offered to help Mrs. Weasley with the dishes. It ended up not being a chore at all because she just used magic the whole time but she managed to keep up a conversation throughout.

"So tell me," she said. "How often do my boys bother you?"

"Bother us? They don't bother us," Harper said in the most sarcastic voice she could muster.

"Is that why you're ignoring George?"

Harper stopped. "How did you know that?"

"I notice these things, dear. I'm a mother."

"Oh. Well he just did something to bother me so I'm punishing him by ignoring him," Harper explained briefly. "Not that its working, or a mature way to go about it."

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Oh it's working all right. I could tell right away."

Harper looked up from the dish she was drying. "It is?"

"George loves attention and the fact that you aren't giving him any will just eat at him."

"Told you," Onyx said triumphantly.

"Well whatever he did to deserve this treatment, I hope it works. Lord knows those boys need to be put in their place every now and then."

Onyx grinned. "I'm glad we have your permission."

"My permission? Oh my dears, you may do whatever necessary," the she added, "within reason."

"We'll remember that," Onyx assured her. "Harps, you ready to get to bed?"

"Yup. Good night, Mrs. Weasley!" Harper called as she and Onyx headed towards the stairs.

"Good night, girls. Sleep well. And if those boys bother you, do not hesitate to get me!"

"We won't," Onyx assured her. When they got to their room, she quickly jumped to the one with a painted F above it. "I call this one."

Harper glanced at the other bed, this one with a large G above it. She grimaced. "Can't we trade?"

"Whatever for?"

"This one is George's," she said flatly.

"But it has the window," Onyx pointed out. "And I know how much you like the light coming through in the morning."

"Okay fine. I'm only keeping it because I like the window, though," Harper grumbled. "I'd probably have called this one anyway."

"I know, I was only saving you the trouble," Onyx grinned.

Harper flopped onto the bed, looking out the window. "This is so weird," she said finally.

"What is?" Onyx inquired, slipping into some sleeping clothes.

"Being here, in their house. With their family. In their _room_, on their beds."

"Ew," Onyx said. "I never thought about it that way. But it would be worse if they were in here too. At least we have their beds all to ourselves!"

"How awkward would that be?" Harper laughed. "If they had to share a bed and we had to share a bed?"

"Terribly awkward. Or you could share a bed with George."

Harper raised her eyebrows. "That means you would have to share with Fred."

Onyx paused. "Ew," she said again. "It would be better if it was Ced."

"Oh yes, I'm sure Fred would _love_ sharing his bed with Cedric."

"I meant with me!"

Harper raised her eyebrows again. "Are you saying you want to sleep with Cedric?"

Onyx slid into bed, "well, when you put it that way…"

"Onyx!" Harper shrieked. "Now I have a terrible image in my head thanks to you!"

"Hey, he's a hottie with a body! I can't help it," she offered.

Harper covered her head with the blankets. "Stop it, stop it! You are sullying my mind!"

Onyx let out a light chuckle. "Good night."

"I better not hear any moaning coming from over there," Harper warned.

Onyx moaned jokingly, then laughed. "I think I have more decency than that."

"Right, good night," Harper snapped from under the covers.

"Night," Onyx moaned.

"Onyx, shut up!"


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Note: **A warm and robust thank you to kaykay25 for the like and the follow on both us and our story! We hope we can keep you entertained! AndTheSnakesStartToSing, right? Cedric is a bit of a tosser [we planned it that way]. As per the end of the GoF, you'll just have to wait and see...__ Carry on._

This is much of the way that things went around the Burrow. Harper and Onyx helped around the house and hung out with everyone but George. Pwoor pwoor widdle Geworgie Bwoy. Well, until one fateful day, Onyx was taking a shower. As usual, she had her iHome [a battery operated muggle contraption from home] with her in the bathroom so she could crank out the tunes while she showered. The music being too loud, Onyx didn't hear someone knock on the door. Being an idiot and drinking too much pumpkin juice, George was the one doing the knocking really having to go to the bathroom, not knowing who was in the shower.

"Ruddy pumpkin juice and only having one bathroom," George cursed standing on the outside of the door. Well, George couldn't resist the call of nature any longer, so he just entered the bathroom and relieved himself. Then he made the fatal mistake, he flushed the toilet.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Onyx screamed as her epidermis was burned off by the scorching hot blast of water.

"What the heck?" George whispered upon hearing a voice from the shower. Curiosity taking its hold, George began to peel back the shower curtain.

Scared out of her mind, Onyx screamed and wrapped herself in the shower curtain. She slipped on the shower and careened towards the ground taking the shower curtain with her. Upon seeing her said attacker, she only had one thing to say, "George Weasley, you are DEAD!" She got up off the ground clutching the shower curtain, and chased George out of the bathroom and down the hall.

George let out a shrill cry and took off running.

Hearing the commotion, Harper and Fred drifted towards the sound. They stopped short when they saw a half-naked Onyx running through the hall, chasing after a horrified looking George.

"Onyx, why are you running through the halls?" Harper asked suspiciously. "And why are you half naked?"

"Why are you wearing my shower curtain?" Fred wanted to know.

"I'm making a fashion statement!" she cried, following George down to the kitchen where she was met by Mrs. Weasley.

"Onyx!" Mrs. Weasley said, looking as though she was shocked but trying to be polite by hiding it. "What on earth…?"

"George," Onyx panted, pointing towards the perpetrator.

That was all she needed to hear. She promptly dragged George outside by his ear. The others heard some yelling.

"I'm going to go get dressed now," Onyx said slowly, backing away towards the staircase.

No sooner did she disappear then did Mrs. Weasley and George reappear, cheeks red from the cold outside.

"Do you understand me, young man?" Mrs. Weasley was asking sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered dolefully.

"Now you go to your room!" Mrs. Weasley ordered.

"Um, Mum," Fred interjected quickly. "Onyx's in our room."

"Then go to Percy's room, I don't care!"Mrs. Weasley yelled.

George didn't need to be told twice. He bounded up the stairwell before she could yell some more. Fred and Harper looked at each other.

"Think he did it on purpose?" she asked.

"I'd bet Ginny on it."

She rolled her eyes.

"Want some breakfast?" he offered as they waited for Onyx to come back down.

"Yes, that would be delicious!"

"Mum. Feed us," Fred called to his mother as he sat down at the table.

"Say the magic word," Mrs. Weasley sang out.

"Mum, we're wizards. There are thousands of magic words I could choose from."

"Fred Weasley," she demanded. "You know what word I mean!"

"Wingardium leviosa?"

Silence.

"Ennervate."

He caught Harper's eye and grinned.

"Please?" Harper asked.

"There you go, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Mrs. Weasley asked, somehow making bread toast itself and buttering it with a swishing motion of her wand.

"But that was Harper, Mum, not me," Fred said, acting hurt that she had mistaken her voice for his.

"Well it's not my fault that she had better manners than you do," Mrs. Weasley spat. "Lord knows I tried to raise you right but I suppose it just wasn't meant to be…"

It was then that Onyx came back down the stairs, now wearing a turtle neck in her attempts to cover up as much of herself as possible.

"Feeling better?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Well embarrassed beyond all belief but aside from that, I'm just peachy," Onyx answered brightly, sitting down next to Harper.

"Here, have some eggs," Mrs. Weasley offered, laying a steaming plate in front of her.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Fred spouted indignantly. "I want eggs, too."

"Maybe when you get chased around the house with nothing on but a shower curtain, you can have some eggs," his mother spat.

Fred grumbled as he sat down next to Onyx, eyeing her as she ate her eggs.

"Um," she said, hesitating mid-bite. "Can I help you?"

"Can I have some of your eggs?" he asked instead.

"Absolutely not."

"You're mean."

"Your twin just chased me around while I was in a shower curtain," Onyx snapped. "I think I'm entitled to some food."

He tapped his fingers on the table as though he were waiting for something. "You know what I think? I think we should go Christmas shopping today."

She dropped her fork on her plate. "Christmas shopping?" she repeated blankly.

"Yeah you know, crazy shoppers pushing each other over to get the last thing, lots of the same annoying song playing over and over in each store… it'll be fun. Just you, me, and Harper. And maybe George," he added as an after though. "If Mum allows him to leave the house."

Onyx studied him for a minute. "Was this your idea?"

He nodded eagerly. "I came up with it all by myself. Aren't you impressed?"

"A little bit," she admitted. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're done with your eggs that you won't share," he told her.

She shoved the last fork full into her mouth. "Done!"

He grinned. "Excellent. I'll go warn George."

And just like that, after an interesting flight through the fireplace using Floo powder, the four of them, because George had been allowed to go, found themselves at Diagon Alley. They had fun trying to find gifts for both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harper had the brilliant idea to buy Mrs. Weasley some fancy yarn as a gift and had to yell at Fred and George when they started throwing skeins of yarn at each other and almost getting kicked out of the store. Their father was harder to shop for because he didn't have any solid interests except for Muggle stuff.

"So… why don't we go to where the Muggle stuff is?" Harper asked. "You're not going to find anything like that here in the wizarding world, you know."

"What are you saying?" George asked, eyeing the joke shop as they passed by.

"That we should go to London," she supplied.

Onyx wrapped her coat around tighter as a chilly wind blew. "How on earth are we supposed to get to London from here?"

Harper shrugged. "Harry said that Hagrid led him through the Leaky Cauldron. There has to be a way."

"So to the Leaky Cauldron!" George cried, pointing the way and running towards the famous inn.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Onyx asked Harper as they followed George through the crowd.

"Going to London? Onyx, I'm sure we'll be fine. It's not like we'll get lost or anything."

"No I mean taking these two out in public," Onyx nodded towards the twins who were now running together with linked arms, practically knocking people over in their haste.

Harper had to agree. It was no big deal for her and Onyx to be out in the Muggle world because they were raised in it. But Fred and George had no clue how to act in public, let alone in the Muggle public. They were dangerous to be around, Harper just realized, because they would draw so much attention.

"I'm sure they'll behave themselves," she said hesitantly, eyeing the twins doubtfully. They made their way into the pub and then walked all the way through it until they saw the door to the street. Fred and George ran out the door and burst onto the walk, making the passerby shoot them uneasy glances.

"Told you," Onyx muttered to Harper as they walked out the door like normal human beings usually do. "This is going to be an adventure, don't you think?"

Harper didn't have time to agree because right then the twins ran back up to them.

"We just realized that we have no clue where to go," Fred informed them.

"So we voted you our tour guides," George finished. "Now, guides, where do we go?"

Onyx and Harper looked at each other and grinned. They were girls and girls were known for two things: being evil, and shopping. Neither Onyx nor Harper were evil, but they could shop. It wasn't Harper's favorite past time but she still was innately good at it. Therefore they both knew exactly where to go for Christmas shopping. Hurrying past the boys, they both headed in the same direction. The twins had to run to keep up.

"Where are we going?" George panted.

"You'll see," Onyx sang, realizing it was George who spoke and not wanting to make Harper respond to him. They led the boys from store to store, finally finding Mr. Weasley a stapler that they were convinced would make his life complete. Fred and George still didn't understand what exactly it was, nor why it was useful, but they agreed that their father would love it. Onyx helped Harper find gifts for her parents, having none of her own. Poor dear. After a few hours of what ended up being actually fun, they were walking down the street back towards the Leaky Cauldron when it started to snow. Harper immediately tried to get a snow flake to land her tongue, and failed miserably. George mocked her by catching the first snowflake he saw on his tongue. She purposefully ignored this.

But it was while they were walking past Buckingham Palace, Fred and George pointing and gaping for show the whole way after trying desperately to distract the guards (Onyx could have sworn that she saw one of their faces twitch), that somebody called out Onyx's name.

All four of them turned at the sound of the voice.

"Did that sound like—" Harper began.

"It couldn't be," Onyx stated faintly.

"It's not allowed to be," Fred said, pouting.

"I hope it is!" George said, bouncing up and down to get a better view. He almost fell to the ground as Fred elbowed him in the ribs. "What was that for?" he snapped.

"It's Pretty Boy," Fred hissed. "That is _not_ a good thing."

Sure enough, as they watched, Cedric Diggory stood on the other side of the street, looked both ways, and then jogged across to meet them, grinning from ear to ear. "Fancy seeing you all here," he greeted them. "Especially you," he said, pulling Onyx into a giant bear hug.

Fred tried hard not to vomit. "I wish he'd been hit by a double decker bus," he muttered under his breath.

Harper heard him and quickly nodded in agreement before Onyx could see. Well, at least he had her on his side. She could be a useful ally. He couldn't spend too much time formulating battle plans however, because George was speaking to him.

"I said, let's give them some privacy," his twin was saying, tugging his arm in the other direction.

"But I don't wanna," Fred whined like a three-year-old as Harper began trailing behind them.

"Oh come on, Fred," she encouraged. "Now we can gossip about them!"

He turned to her. "You want to gossip about them?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you supported them. I thought you were their fan!"

Harper made a face. "He's been rubbing against me the wrong way lately," she admitted. "He's kind of a Onyx attention whore."

Both Fred and George stared at her blankly before bursting into laughter.

"That is the perfect way to describe him!" Fred cried. "Can I steal it?"

"As long as you don't give me credit," she told him. "I don't want her to know how I feel about them."

"Why, would she not approve of the fact that you don't approve?" George inquired as they continued on their walk to the Leaky Cauldron.

She ignored him out of habit and instead stole a glance back towards her best friend and Cedric. "I guess we got voted off the island," she said ruefully as Cedric and Onyx meandered slowly down the street, hand in hand.

Fred grunted in response, clearly not wishing to talk about it. He gruffly pushed the door open as they reached the pub and sat down at a table in a huff. "I want a pint," he announced to nobody in particular.

"Well unfortunately for you, mate, we're still considered underage," George reminded him, sitting down in the chair next to his twin.

Harper sat down on Fred's other side. "Some scotch would be nice," she admitted.

"Or some rum," George pointed out.

"Or butter beer," Tom the bartender cut in from behind the bar.

"Or butter beer," George grinned. "So much for wishful thinking."

"Yes it seems that you two have been doing a lot of that lately," Harper said airily, looking around the pub.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" George challenged.

"Yes, Harper, whatever could you mean?" Fred asked, knowing full well that Harper wasn't going to answer George's question.

She raised her eyebrows. "You know exactly what I mean. First there's you and her," she said, nodding her head towards the door. "And then there's this git," she said, nodding towards George. "And we all know how that went."

"Hey, I got an acknowledgement!" George said excitedly. "We're making progress."

Fred began clapping. "Oh yay, maybe next we can expose Pretty Boy as the attention seeking dung bomb that he is!" He immediately got serious again. "Dreams die, George."

"Oh Fred, lighten up," Harper said, patting his arm comfortingly. "Everything's not lost."

"It's lost alright," he said dejectedly. "They're in love and I'm just chopped up liver."

"That explains the smell…" George trailed off.

"Ah, my life is over!" Fred wailed, burying his face in the crook of his elbow on the table.

Harper appraised him carefully. "Fred, are you just being dramatic?" she asked skeptically.

He raised his head automatically. "Yes, actually, I am. They can go off and get married, have five kids and live in a town house with a garden with a cat named Mouse for all I care."

Both Harper and George looked at him.

"A cat named mouse?" George repeated. "That's so cruel. That cat would have so many issues."

It was right then that Cedric and Onyx walked in amongst a flurry of snow. They spotted the others sitting at the table and hurried to join them.

"Hello," Onyx greeted, cheeks red from the cold. "We thought we lost you."

"You did," Fred told her with a very snippy tone in his voice.

"What's up your butt?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to bet that he'd show you if you asked real nicely," George told her. "Or if you paid well enough."

"George! That's disgusting!" Onyx scolded him.

"Disgusting, but funny," he pointed out.

They others all just rolled their eyes.

"So are we going back to Diagon Alley then?" Cedric asked in midst of the silence.

"We?" George repeated, not sure he had heard right.

"Of course," Onyx said, sounding surprised that it was even a question. "Ced's coming with us. At least for a little while."

"Oh happy day, now it's an actual shopping party," Fred said in mock happiness. "Shall we go look for high heels now? Because I swear, mine are getting too small."

"And maybe some fishnets to match, eh?" George snickered.

"Nope, that would be for Onyx the hooker," Fred reminded him.

"I beg your pardon," Cedric sputtered as Onyx laughed. "Why do you find that funny?" he asked her. "He's sullying your virtue!"

This, of course, only made her laugh harder. "Ced, relax. He's just trying to be funny."

"Trying and succeeding, apparently," grumbled Cedric.

For the first time, Fred looked happy. "Why Cedric Diggory, are you jealous perhaps?"

"I think he is," George agreed. "Which leads me to wonder whom exactly he's jealous of, because he obviously can't be jealous of Fred here."

"Why would Cedric be jealous of Fred?" Onyx asked in genuine innocence.

"Um because?" Harper said, cutting in before either George or Fred or Cedric could say anything. "Who wouldn't be jealous of Fred?"

"The better question is, who _would_ be jealous of him?" George challenged.

"No, I'm pretty sure the better question is, who wouldn't be?"

"I'm pretty sure this is a stupid argument," Cedric grumbled. "May we please talk about something else?"

"Whatever for?" Harper asked. "Are you saying that the Weasley twins don't make for good conversation? You aren't tired of talking about them and hearing them talked about?"

"You know, I really don't appreciate that," George commented. "I feel that it is sarcastic, and I feel like I do not like sarcasm aimed at my direction."

"I feel like she's still not talking to you, mate," Fred informed his twin.

"I feel like I could have deducted that on my own, thanks."

Onyx paused. "Don't you mean deduced?"

Cedric laughed to himself. "You two sure are something else," he mused, shaking his head in amusement.

"I feel a sense of disdain coming from over here this direction," Fred said slowly, motioning his hands over near the general direction of Cedric.

Harper stood up then, saying, "And I feel we should get going before the tension rises anymore, don't you?"

"Agreed," Fred said thankfully, standing up as well. "Lets go home. I've had enough shopping for one day."

Onyx sighed. "Alright. Come on Ced. Have you ever met Mrs. Weasley before?"

Fred and George stopped walking towards the back of the inn and turned to face her. "Meet Mrs. Weasley?" they asked in unison.

"What, is he following us home?" George questioned. "I'm sorry, our mother doesn't allow strays."

Cedric tried to shrug this comment off while Onyx made a face at the twins.

"We're just going to be there for a little to pick up my stuff," she assured them.

This time Harper stopped. "Pick up your stuff?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm staying with Cedric tonight," Onyx explained.

All three of her friends stood there, looking at her. She glanced from face to face, confused as to why they seemed so confused. "What?"

None of them seemed to want to speak first. Harper willed one of the twins to say something so that she didn't have to. Finally, George spoke up.

"You're staying with him?" He flashed a grin. "You will be supervised, right?"

"Mostly," Cedric said, checking his watch. "We really ought to get going," he told Onyx.

"It won't take me long to get my things," she assured him. "I didn't bring much." She started walking out to the back of the inn and the others really had no choice but to follow her.

"Why is she staying with him?" Fred muttered to Harper as they made their way to the back alley of the pub to the brick wall that would lead them back to Diagon Alley.

"I have no clue," she whispered back. "She never mentioned it to me before. I think it was just planned."

"Well I don't like it," Fred grumbled.

Harper snorted. "Neither do I. Now I'm stuck with you two all night."

They had made it to the alley, where they found Onyx and Cedric just standing there, waiting.

George smirked. "You don't know how to get in, do you." It wasn't a question. "You're so bloody incapable, Pretty Boy," he complained, walking up to the wall and tapping the appropriate bricks with his wand. They began to move and shake until an opening appeared. They all had to squint in the light of the alley.

"George, when did you learn that?" Fred asked in wonderment.

George shrugged. "Hagrid. I thought it might be useful to know one day."

Onyx and Cedric were already walking down the street, hand in hand.

"How exactly are we getting back to your place?" Harper asked Fred as they followed the love birds. "We can't get back through Floo powder, can we?"

George shook his head, now ignoring the fact that she was ignoring him. He decided that he should just speak as though spoken to, just to see where it got him. "We didn't bring enough to get us back."

Onyx turned around to look at them. "So we can't get back?"

Much to her surprise, Cedric started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked him.

"I can Apparate," he told her. "I can get us back to the Burrow in no time."

Fred stared at him. "So why did we need to come back here? For cover?"

Cedric hesitated. "Um."

George began laughing at him. "He's got the beauty but not the brains," he said under his breath. Harper overheard and had to laugh, even if it was George's joke.

"Oh, you thought that was funny, did you?" he asked her.

She ignored him. "So Ced, how soon can you get us back?"

"Right now, if you really want," he answered.

"Well get on with it Pretty Boy," George said, "wow us with your magical abilities."

"If you are going to be all sarcastic, I am going to leave you behind," Cedric warned.

"You're a charmer," George smarted. "It's a wonder why Onyx fell for you."

Cedric ignored his comment, "for the spell to work, we should all probably be touching in some sort of fashion; holding hands would be the easiest," Cedric instructed.

"I call Onyx," Harper called.

"Why do you get her?" Fred whined.

"She has two hands you know," Harper pointed out.

"The other one belongs to me," Cedric said, grabbing her hand.

"Well, I don't want to hold Pretty Boy's hand," Fred stated indignantly.

"I don't want to hold George's hand," Harper let everyone know.

"Well, I think we should all just stop being childish and hold hands and get out of here. It will only be a few seconds anyway," Cedric somewhat grumbled disgruntled.

Begrudgingly, everyone held hands. Fortunately, Harper weaseled her way in between Fred and Onyx, so she had no contact with George. George on the other hand, was stuck between a rock and a hard place, the rock head known as Cedric, and his brother.

Cedric whipped out his wand and cast the necessary incantation to get them to the Burrow. Within seconds, they were in the Weasley's front yard.

"And here I thought that we were going to end up in a graveyard, or on top of Big Ben, or in Moaning Myrtle's toilet," George let out a sigh of relief, promptly letting go of Cedric's hand and wiping his own off on his pants.

"I do have some skills," Cedric told him coldly.

Fred scoffed. "Shouldn't Onyx have the final word on that?"

Onyx, already almost into the house, looked at him. "How should I know?"

"Just ignore them," Harper advised. "It makes life easier."

They were met in the kitchen by Mrs. Weasley who squealed at the sight of Cedric.

"Cedric Diggory! Whatever are you doing here?" she asked excitedly.

"Um, picking up Onyx," he explained, looking a bit alarmed at the greeting.

Mrs. Weasley paused. "Is she going somewhere?"

"To my house, but only for a few days," he hastened to explain. "I'll have her back by Christmas Eve."

Mrs. Weasley eyed Onyx. "Why was I not informed of this?"

Onyx felt a tad guilty now. "It sort of just happened," she offered lamely. "I will be back, I swear."

"You'd better be. Poor Harper is going to be stuck here all alone with these monsters for company," Mrs. Weasley said, indicating her sons.

"Harper can handle them, I'm sure," Cedric said.

"Well there's no rush for you to get home, is there? Can't you stay for dinner a bit?" Mrs. Weasley implored.

"What?" all five of them asked in identical astonished voices.

"Dinner? You want him to stay for dinner?" George positively squeaked.

"Why not?"

"Because. They need to get going," Fred began. "I'm sure his mother is expecting them."

"And I still need to pack," Onyx added.

"Dinner will be done by the time you're finished." Mrs. Weasley said brightly. "Now run along and hurry up. And don't forget to wash up before we eat." And just like that, it was decided that Cedric was going to eat dinner with them that night.

Begrudgingly, the five of them went up the stairs. Harper had decided to help Onyx pack, which really wasn't much of a chore because like Onyx had said earlier, she hadn't brought much to begin with. So Harper sat on her bed, watching as Cedric helped Onyx gather her things.

Cedric seemed to be coddling Onyx, asking if she needed this, or if she wanted that, and was she sure that she wouldn't need that. Harper watched on with interest as the two of them answered each other as if they were reading lines from a script. After a few minutes of the read through, Onyx had finished and Cedric lead the way back down the stairs. Fred and George met Harper in the hall.

"Is she really staying with him?" Fred asked her quietly, lest Onyx hear him.

"Well she's all packed up now, so I'd say its pretty much a done deal," Harper shrugged.

"Bollocks," George muttered. "There goes our fun."

"Tell your brother that I can still hear him," Harper asked Fred as she began the long descent down the stairs.

Fred turned to George. "She can still hear you."

"Yes, yes, I heard her. Just go downstairs before I push you," George threatened.

Fred obeyed, following close behind Harper. "You do remember that Ginny is here, right?" he asked her.

"Oh right!" Harper's whole demeanor brightened. "So I won't be the only girl after all."

When they got to the foot of the stairs, they saw that Mrs. Weasley had already set the table and that dinner was practically served. Mr. Weasley was home, and sitting at the head of the table, reading the Daily Prophet.

"Hey, Dad," Fred greeted his father. "Did you see that Cedric Diggory is here for dinner?"

Mr. Weasley looked up from the paper. "We're having Cedric Diggory for dinner?" he asked in alarm.

"Oh yes, it's the new delicacy," Cedric laughed, sitting down next to Onyx.

Mr. Weasley blinked at Cedric. "You really are here. Why are you here?"

"Dear!" Mrs. Weasley called out. "Be polite, he's our guest for dinner."

"We're really eating him?" Mr. Weasley asked, sounding more and more alarmed. "Molly, I know times are hard, but we really don't need to resort to cannibalism…"

Fred and George started laughing hysterically at the prospect of eating Cedric, while Molly Weasley smacked her husband on the hand with a spatula.

"You are not being funny," she scolded. "What a way to welcome a guest."

"No its fine, really," Cedric assured her, throwing a dirty look at the twins who were still laughing. Onyx was smiling to herself and was determined not to look at Harper because she knew that they would both start laughing if they caught each other's eye. Mrs. Weasley hastened to serve the actual dinner, stew with homemade bread, before any more talk of eating Cedric could continue.

"Alright, you hooligans," she addressed her family. "Start eating and stop talking."

"But… where's the carving knife?" Fred asked, sounding confused.

"Fred!" his mother yelled.

"I was just asking," he muttered, helping himself to some stew. "It was a perfectly valid question."

"You," Molly said, brandishing the soup ladle in his direction, "are on a talking time out."

"A talking time out?" he repeated in disbelief.

"You're talking," she sang, taking the stew from him and pouring some into Cedric's bowl. "Here you go dear, it's an old family recipe we've had for ages."

"It smells delicious," Cedric told her, taking a bite. "And tastes delicious as well."

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "See how well behaved he is, boys?" she asked her sons.

"That's just because he doesn't want to be eaten," George said. Fred grinned.

"Talking time out for you, too!" their mother scolded. "There will be no dessert if you open your mouth again."

George looked down at his bowl of soup. "Then how am I supposed to eat?"

"George!"

"I'm just asking a question, you said don't open your mouth but I need to open it to eat!"

"Just stop talking, mate," Fred warned.

"Fred!"

"I was telling him to stop!" Fred cried in self defense.

"But you're still talking!" his mother yelled.

"I just want to eat!" George cut in.

It was then that Ginny came down to the kitchen. "What's with all the yelling?" she asked, taking a seat next to her mother.

"Fred and George won't stop talking," Harper summed it up.

"And you're all surprised?" Ginny asked, taking a piece of bread and buttering it.

"I have no clue why I would be," Mrs. Weasley grumbled, sitting down at her seat now that things had cooled down. "They do this all the time."

"Is it nice having the girls here, then?" Cedric asked to change the subject.

"Oh of course it is," Mrs. Weasley bubbled. "It's almost like having more daughters."

"Getting the bathroom is a bloody feat, though," Fred grumbled.

"Speaking of bathrooms, remember the shower incident?" George asked the table.

"George," his mother warned.

But Cedric was curious. "What shower incident?" he asked.

"Oh no," Onyx said. "George, stop it."

"Stop what? Telling him about the time I walked in on you in the shower and you chased me around the house in nothing but a shower curtain?" George asked. His eyes widened. "Oops."

"_What_?" Cedric's jaw dropped. "A shower curtain?"

Onyx winced. "I didn't do it on purpose," she assured him.

"But you chased him around in a shower curtain?" Cedric was positively aghast. This was quite possibly the most horrific thing he could ever imagine.

"I was angry and wasn't thinking rationally," Onyx offered pathetically.

"But a shower curtain? They saw you running around in a shower curtain?" Cedric glared at Fred and George.

"We didn't see anything, mate," Fred told him. "She was wearing a shower curtain."

"And she was wet. It was rather unsightly," George added.

"Even though I will admit that she looks better when she's wetter," Fred smirked.

That did it. Cedric was far from pacified by any of this as Onyx slowly began sinking in her chair away from view. Never before had she been so embarrassed. And never before had she seen Cedric so angry. He hurriedly scooped the last of his stew into his mouth and stood up, pulling Onyx's arm along with him.

"Well we really ought to be going, my mother will be expecting us soon. Thank you very much for dinner," he thanked Mrs. Weasley. He snatched up Onyx's bag off the floor and led her towards the door.

"Um, bye guys!" Onyx said while she still had a chance as Cedric dragged her out the door.

And just like that, they were gone. Harper stared at the door.

"That was weird," she said bluntly.

"Was it something I said, you think?" George asked.

"Was it something you said?" his mother repeated. "The whole entire thing was your fault! Why did you have to bring up the shower incident? You knew that would upset him!"

George shrugged. "I thought he might find it funny."

"Or horrible!" Ginny corrected. "Did you see how angry he looked? He barely gave Onyx time to say good bye."

Mrs. Weasley eyed the door. "I don't know how much I like that boy," she decided.

Fred and George gave each other a high five. "Yes!"

"Maybe he's going to propose," Ginny suddenly gasped.

"No!" Fred, George, and Harper all cried out at the same time. Harper found herself immediately horrified. Cedric wouldn't do that. Would he? Onyx wouldn't say yes, though. Or would she? She looked at Fred, who seemed equally as horrified.

"You don't think…"he trailed off. "I mean, he did just steal her away from us for who knows how long."

But Mrs. Weasley was quick to qualm their fears. "Oh children, calm down. There is no way in heaven that he is going to propose to her. They haven't been going out that long and they clearly don't have the connection."

Harper looked at Mrs. Weasley. "What connection?"

"You know, the connection." Mrs. Weasley looked at all of the blank faces staring at her. "You don't know what the connection is, do you?" All of the children at the table shook their heads, making Mrs. Weasley sigh audibly. "Don't they teach you anything at that school?"

"Yeah, like how to levitate feathers, and make useless potions," George said sarcastically.

"So what is the connection?" Harper asked, wanting to know.

Mrs. Weasley thought a moment. "Its like what Arthur and I have," she said finally.

"A lot of kids?" Harper asked skeptically.

"No, this happens before the kids," Mrs. Weasley explained.

Fred raised his eyebrows.

"It's a connection that you feel when you first meet," she started. "Well not even then, really, it can pop up any old time, but usually you can just _tell_."

Ginny looked at Harper, thinking that her mother was bonkers. "What are you talking about?"

"Take Cedric and Onyx, for example. There is no established connection between them. I can sense it. There's an emptiness."

"Yeah, inside his head," George said.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?" Mrs. Weasley asked them.

"Not really," Harper told her.

"Well you will. All in due time, my dears," Mrs. Weasley assured them. "Just don't rush it. And whatever you do, do _not_ make something out of nothing."

George seemed shocked. "Why not? That's my favorite pastime!"

This seemed to fluster Mrs. Weasley. "Oh George, you're hopeless. It's going to be a day indeed when you finally get married, if you ever do."

George waved this off. "Pssh. Like I'm ever going to get married. I'm going to live long and prosper as a bachelor and be better off because of it."

"Well fine," Mrs. Weasley huffed. "At least I still have hope in Fred."

Fred, who had been concentrating on eating and wasn't paying the slightest attention to the conversation, looked up when he heard his name. "What about Fred?"

"She's saying you're hopeless," George told him. "Go back to your food."

"Hopeless? What for?" Fred asked.

"George, stop doing that," Mr. Weasley said wearily, turning back to his paper.

"We were talking about marriage," Mrs. Weasley told Fred.

Fred's eyes widened. "Is somebody getting married?"

"We're betting on you to get married first," Ginny grinned, knowing full well that it wasn't likely to happen.

"Me?" Fred sputtered. "What about Ginny? She has a new boyfriend every week."

Ginny's smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of loathing. "Git."

"We're talking about between you and George, dear," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "George says he's going to be a bachelor for the rest of his life. Therefore it's up to you to provide me some grandchildren."

At this, George, Ginny, and Harper started laughing hysterically as Fred's face reddened.

"Grandchildren?" he squeaked. "What about Bill and Charlie? Why don't you go tell them to pop out the munchkins instead?"

"Because they're so far away," Mrs. Weasley said with a bit of bitterness in her voice. "You, however, will be much closer."

"How do you figure that?" Fred asked, curious despite himself.

"Well because," Mrs. Weasley said as though it were obvious. "I won't let you stray that far."

"Momma's boy," George teased.

Fred made a face at him before answering his mother. "What if I don't want to get married like George?"

Molly did not find this amusing. "Oh, you're getting married, boy."

"That'll be the day," George scoffed.

"It will not! Fred is too good of a catch for anybody to let go," Mrs. Weasley said proudly.

Fred reddened again. "Stop it, Mum."

"Yeah, Mum, you're embarrassing him," George told her. "And all this love talk is making me lose my appetite."

"You've already finished your meal," his mother pointed out.

George looked down at his empty bowl. "Well would you look at that. Okay so let's continue. Who do you think Fred is going to marry?"

"Must we really talk about this?" Fred pleaded. "I'm going to live as a bum in a cardboard box under a bridge. I've already decided."

"No you are not!" Mrs. Weasley practically yelled as the rest of the table laughed. "You are going to get married and you're going to like it!"

"No actually, you're going to hate it," George whispered. "You'll end up with an old, blind hag, I just know it."

"Oh hush," Ginny said, overhearing. "That's who'll be chasing _you_. Fred's going to end up with somebody far better."

"Like who?" Harper wanted to know.

"Onyx," George coughed into his hand.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, absently buttering her bread. She suddenly put down her knife. "What about Harper?"

Harper almost choked on the bit of stew she had just spooned into her mouth. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Mrs. Weasley said. "That wouldn't be so bad, now would it?"

"Well no, except for the fact that Fred is in love with Onyx and Harper likes me," George announced. "Duh."

Harper choked again and Fred's spoon dropped into his bowl in shock.

"Fred is in love with Onyx?" It took a few seconds for this to register for Mrs. Weasley. Her eyes then widened. "Why did you let her leave with Cedric?" she suddenly cried.

"Like we could have stopped her," Ginny said. "I'm fairly certain he had her in a death grip."

Molly ignored this, focusing on Fred. "You two would make a far better couple than she and Cedric do. You have the connection," she said excitedly.

"Oh Mum, enough with the connection nonsense," George said in a bored tone. "It doesn't exist."

"Just because you are too blind to see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist," his mother snapped. "It could be sitting right next to you and you would never know it."

George glanced to his left and to his right, where Fred and Ginny were sitting. "You'd better be wrong, Mum."

Everybody was spared more embarrassment as Mr. Weasley stood up, and declared the conversation over. This was met by much appreciation and Ginny and Harper jumped up to help clear the table and do the dishes. Fred and George, seeing that there was nothing they could do to help without getting in the way, disappeared before their mother called for them to help.

As the girls were doing dishes and helping out Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley suddenly asked, "does Fred really like Onyx?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's been infatuated with her since the beginning of the year, ever since she had started tutoring them," Harper told her.

Mrs. Weasley was genuinely shocked. "I don't know if I should be happy or upset about this."

"Why would you be upset?" Ginny wondered.

"The only thing that is upsetting is that she is unobtainable since she is seeing Cedric, and that's not a good situation for Fred to be in. Wanting another man's girl has got to be breaking his heart. He's a lot more fragile than he seems; he's far more emotional than the other boys in the family."

"Yeah, it's been kind of hard helping him cope," Harper added, "He didn't really want anyone else to know."

"Well what about George? Who does he like?" Mrs. Weasley pressed.

"Why should I care?" Harper said, drying off the dish that Ginny just handed her.

"Onyx," Ginny answered her mother's question.

"What? He likes her too?" Mrs. Weasley asked sounding rather surprised.

"Almost all the boys at school do. It's something about hot qudditch players that drive them crazy," Ginny explained.

"Oh, I thought he liked you, Harper," Mrs. Weasley informed her.

Harper and Ginny scoffed at her comment.

"Ha ha, yeah _sure_ he does," Harper quipped.

"No really, you two have a connection," Mrs. Weasley observed.

"Enough with the connections mum," Ginny whined.

"Are you doubting the power of the connection?"Mrs. Weasley sounded disappointed in her daughter.

"I'm not doubting it, I'm just saying that you don't need to go on about it."

"I will not have a daughter who doubts the connection!" Mrs. Weasley cried, brandishing her wand.

Harper stepped in to save Ginny. "Well I believe it," she announced. "I just don't think George and I have it."

Mrs. Weasley immediately calmed down. "But of course you do, dear. I've been watching it for awhile now."

"For how long?" Harper asked in spite of herself.

"A few years now," Mrs. Weasley answered airily.

"Mom, we hadn't been hanging out with Harper and Onyx until about two years ago," Ginny pointed out.

Mrs. Weasley waved this off. "That doesn't matter, I could still see it."

Harper and Ginny glanced at each other, sharing a look but saying nothing more. The idea that there was some mythical connection between George and Harper was utterly absurd.


	22. Chapter 22

Cedric had Onyx at his house in no time, because he was able to Apparate. It was an unpleasant experience for, almost as though she was being squished. But after a few seconds it was over and she was standing on the front porch of what she could immediately tell was a large house. It didn't feel quite as welcoming as the Weasley's did, probably due to the fact that there were no boots or cauldrons or chickens on the porch. Instead there was a sort of nightstand with fake flowers perched on top. There wasn't even a welcome mat in front of the door Cedric was now opening for her.

"After you," he beckoned. She willingly obliged , stepping into the marble foyer. It was dark. That was the only way to describe it. She felt as though she had plunged into a well and was thankful when Cedric took her by the arm and lead her further into the house.

"Mom, Dad," he called into the darkness. "I'm home!"

At first Onyx thought that nobody else was home until she heard a voice from somewhere in the depths.

"Ced!" a male voice boomed. Onyx guessed it was Cedric's father because she knew that he had no brothers. Sure enough, a figure loomed from what Onyx assumed was a hallway and ran at his son with open arms.

"Hi, Dad," Cedric said, letting go of Onyx and hugging his father. "Where's Mom?"

But Amos Diggory wasn't listening. He had caught sight of Onyx for the first time and for a second seemed to have forgotten that his son would be bringing his girlfriend.

"Oh right," Cedric said, noticing where his father's gaze had fallen. "Dad, this is Onyx."

Onyx held her hand out and Mr. Diggory shook it with gumption. "Onyx, it is so nice to finally meet you!"

"And you too, sir," she said eagerly. "Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it."

"Oh its no bother," he assured her. "We're glad to have you. It just might get a little hectic tomorrow night because of the party."

Onyx vaguely remembered that Cedric had mentioned his parents would be hosting their traditional Christmas Eve party while she was there. "I can help set up," she offered.

Amos laughed. "That is very kind of you but we have wands. We'll be able to manage."

Onyx immediately felt sheepish. She had forgotten that the Diggory's were wizards, too. Setting up for a party would be a breeze.

"Where's Mom?" Cedric asked his father.

"In the living room," Amos answered. "She was making some preparations for the party."

With a nod, Cedric set off to the living room and Onyx had to hurry after him so as to not get lost. But on her way, she was intercepted by Mr. Diggory.

"So, you are dating my boy, eh?" Mr. Diggory began.

"Yes," Onyx responded semi-sheepishly. What answer did he really expect? She felt like it was a trick question of sorts.

"You know, you're the first girl he's ever brought home so he must think you're something special," Amos continued.

"Thank you," Onyx blushed.

"Well come then, let's go meet the Mrs.," Mr. Diggory said leading Onyx into the living room.

Cedric and his mother were sitting on their sofa.

"So, this is the girl?" Mrs. Diggory asked upon seeing Onyx and Mr. Diggory enter the room.

"Yep, that's her," Ced said dryly.

There was an incredibly awkward silence.

"Well, there's no use just standing around all awkward like. Ced, why don't you show Onyx where she is staying ," Mr. Diggory offered. Turning to Onyx, "Then you my dear, can go and get settled in."

"I'd like that," Onyx responded, grateful for the break in silence.

Cedric got up and nodded for Onyx to follow him. She did so willingly, following him down the hall and up some stairs that she almost tripped up because it was so dark. There were sconces all along the walls, but they were dim. The lighting was very odd to Onyx.

"Here's your room," Cedric said opening the door and setting Onyx's bag down on the rather large bed.

"Umm... thanks?" Onyx said for a lack of something better to say. Something felt extremely off to her. "Ced, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, everything is fine," he told her, not sounding entirely too convinced.

"It doesn't sound like nothing to me."

Cedric sighed. "The whole entire shower incident is what is really bugging me."

Onyx brought her hands through her hair. "Ced, that was an accident."

"I know," he grunted sitting down on the bed.

"Then what's the problem?" she wanted to know, stroking his hair.

"George, he's seen more of your skin than I have. And I'm not really ok with that."

Onyx laughed. "Ced. If I had to relive the entire experience, I would rather it have been you finding me in the shower than George Weasley."'

Cedric laughed too, "well, maybe I could arrange that."

"Cedric!" Onyx gasped. That was a highly sexual and unusual comment to be coming out of Cedric's mouth.

Ced grinned at her. "I was only kidding. Maybe, well only partially. Okay, not really."

Onyx rolled her eyes.

"It was only a suggestion," Cedric added.

"And what next, you're going to invite me to your room?"

"Actually yes," he said pulling her up off the bed and into his room across the hall.

Onyx eyed Cedric's room. It was as neat as a pin, it hardly looked lived in. It really had no personal effects in it; more like the room was for show.

Cedric walked over and turned on his stereo, which for some reason had a small layer of dust on it. Onyx marveled at the fact that he actually had a stereo, since it was such a Muggle invention. Then he pointed his wand at it once more to change whatever song was playing. It changed to The Strokes.

"So," he said unceremoniously. "This is my room. There's not much to it, mostly because I've been at Hogwarts for so long."

"Understandable." She looked around some more. "Did you ever have any toys growing up?" she asked, not seeing any signs of a childhood.

He looks surprised by the question. "Of course."

"Well… where are they?"

"We got rid of them. There was no need to keep them since it was only me," he laughed.

Still, she thought it was weird. Fred and George still had action figures on shelves in their room. The first night Harper and Onyx spent there, they were awoken by the figures fighting above their heads.

"Not one for nostalgia, eh?" she teased.

He shook his head. "My mother doesn't much care for the clutter, either. Once I hit thirteen, she got rid of it all."

"That's so sad!" Onyx couldn't imagine just getting rid of your stuff like that.

He gave a shrug. "I didn't mind too much. I fly a lot."

"Lucky," she muttered. "I can't even do that, I live in the Muggle world."

"And you have my sympathies," he said in a serious voice.

She threw a punch at him which he deftly avoided.

"You're such an abusive girlfriend!" he joked.

She raised her eyebrows. Hadn't she heard that once before? She had a brief memory of the twins… "No I am not," she said indignantly. "If I really were abusive, you'd already have bruises."

"Is that a threat?"

"It could be." She tried to look menacing but was failing.

"Oh please, how could you threaten me? That's far too mean. You don't have it in you." He kissed the top of her head. "Now let's go and see what mother has for desert."

Onyx hesitated. "Ced, I don't think your mother likes me very much," she admitted.

Cedric whirled around to face her. "Are you kidding me? How could you possibly think that? She's just met you!"

"I know," Onyx began. "But she wasn't too happy to see me."

Cedric waved this off. "That's because I'm her only son and she's incredibly protective of me."

"Yeah but, what if she genuinely dislikes me?" Onyx fretted. She had actually been worrying about this for a week now, but didn't feel up to expressing her fears to Cedric. But after the way his mother had greeted Onyx, she felt as though she needed to.

Cedric took Onyx's hand and opened the door, letting her out first. "You're being ridiculous. How could anybody not like you? That's impossible."

Apparently not. As soon as they got down into the kitchen, Onyx felt Mrs. Diggory's glare on her. There was an awkward stiffness as they sat down to eat lime sorbet. The conversation between the Diggory's was so forced and on the most mundane of subjects. Onyx sat there, listening and trying to contribute but feeling as though it wasn't her place to. This was nothing like eating with the Weasley's, where the conversation was light and humorous and anybody could say what they wanted. She was just wondering what Harper was up to and how she was dealing with being stuck with Fred and George when she realized that Mrs. Diggory was speaking to her. Cedric nudged her under the table.

"Sorry, what?" she asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Mrs. Diggory looked a little miffed at her. "I was asking if you brought something nice to wear," she asked coldly and looking as though she doubted it.

Onyx blinked. Why did she need something nice? Hadn't Cedric mentioned a party of some sorts that his parents were hosting? She knew she had a dress somewhere in her bag but now she worried if it was nice enough… "Oh yes, ma'am," she nodded.

"How nice?" Mrs. Diggory pressed.

"Its black." Onyx offered weakly.

"Go put it on and show me."

Onyx glanced at Cedric, who nodded encouragingly. "Er okay then. I'll be right back, I guess." She quickly excused herself from the table and ran up to her room. This woman was crazy, ordering her to go change like that. Why did she care so much about the dress? How fancy was this party going to be anyway, she wondered as she dug the thing out of her bag. She shook the dress out to attempt to get any wrinkles out. Her heart dropped when she realized what dress she had brought. It was just your standard black strapless frock; at least it wasn't too short or too revealing.

"Here goes nothing," she sighed as she slipped the dress on.

Onyx trotted down the steps and incredibly self-consciously walked into the kitchen. None of the Diggory's had moved from the table and right away, Onyx knew Mrs. Diggory didn't approve.

"Do you have anything to cover up with?" Mrs. Diggory snapped.

"Uhhh-" Onyx began.

Mr. Diggory, fortunately for Onyx interceded. "Dear she looks lovely. You are throwing a black and white party anyways so she will fit in with the theme nicely."

"Well, we'll still have to get her something to cover up with," Mrs. Diggory rebuttaled.

"She's fine, mother. There are going to be a lot of other younger girls here tomorrow who will more than likely be wearing something similar or worse," Cedric spoke up.

"That's true, son. You're cousin Nelly is a little on the promiscuous side nowadays," Mr. Diggory agreed.

"Really, if it is going to be too much of a problem, I'm sure that I can find something in my bag. I did grab a sweater or something," Onyx suggested. She really didn't want to cause any problems and she most definitely wanted to get on Mrs. Diggory's good side.

"A sweater would most certainly not do, it's too common place. You might as well just wear something from my closet," Mrs. Diggory observed.

Cedric's eyes widened. "Mother that's really not necessary."

"I believe it is. Up the stairs with you," she said shooing Onyx up the stairs.

Onyx looked panic-stricken as Mrs. Diggory proceeded to drag her up the steps.

"Should I go help her?" Cedric asked his father as he watched his girlfriend strong-armed by his mother.

"I think it would be best to stay out of your mother's way when it comes to these things. That's what I do, and I think I have added ten years to my life."

"I need to talk to you more about womanly advice, father," Cedric shook his head.

Back up stairs, Mrs. Diggory had Onyx up on a stool encircled by mirrors, and was fussing around trying to find something suitable for her to wear.

"What are you a vampire? You are far too pale to pull off any of these colors. Perhaps, you should get a tan," Mrs. Diggory mused.

"A WHAT?! A tan? I-I have to tan? I thought that was really bad for your skin," Onyx blanched.

"Not the magical kind, now hold still." Mrs. Diggory pulled out her wand.

Onyx shut her eyes tightly and winced as she felt a blast of hot air on her skin. She hesitantly opened one eye and looked at her arm. "I'm orange!" she shrieked.

"And it's a much better color on you," Mrs. Diggory said sounding approving for the first time.

Onyx's mouth was agape. She didn't know what to do but stay quiet for fear of her mouth getting herself into trouble.

Mrs. Diggory continued pulling out dresses and putting them on Onyx. She finally settled on a green velvet dress, and it was absolutely hideous.

"Perfect!" Mrs. Diggory exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Onyx looked at herself in the mirror. _I look like a pumpkin_, she thought to herself. "Doesn't this kind of go against your theme? I thought it was black and white, and this is pine green."

"Oh, hush. Christmas colors are always allowed."

Onyx sighed. "Just my luck," she whispered under her breath.

"Now what about shoes? You know what, I'm not even going to ask so spare me the details. Wear these," Mrs. Diggory demanded shoving a pair of matching green velvet high heels into Onyx's arms, almost knocking her off the stool. "Come on. Chop, chop. Put them on."

Onyx attempted to get her foot in the shoes, but they proved too small. She flipped them over and much to her chagrin found that they were only a size six. "Mrs. Diggory, these are too small."

"What are you half giant? Just squeeze them on," she said waving off her comment.

"Not to argue or anything, but these are really three sizes too small," Onyx pointed out.

"Well then, we'll just have to cut off your big toes then," she sighed.

"Um how about I just wear my own shoes. I really do have a pair of nice heels, they are black and I'm sure they'll work just fine."

Mrs. Diggory mulled it over, "I suppose. You can't see your feet anyways because you are so short and that dress is a bit long on you anyways. You're finished, goodbye."

Onyx gratefully jumped off the stool and ran down the hall to her room and immediately pulled the wretched dress off. "What have I gotten myself into?" she sighed as she slipped into a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. Onyx sat down cross-legged on her bed and her face fell into her orange hands. There was a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she asked hesitantly, praying it wasn't Mrs. Diggory again.

"It's just me, no need to freak out," Ced said entering the room. He turned to shut the door, and that's when he saw it. "What happened to you?!" he gasped.

"Your mother. She said I was too pale so she decided I needed a tan," Onyx groaned.

Cedric stifled a laugh. "It's not that bad."

"Are you serious? I look like a pumpkin!" Onyx said her head again falling in her hands.

"But an insanely hot pumpkin," he assured her stooping to kiss her on the lips before sitting down next to her. "Thank you," he said suddenly.

"For what?" she ask surprised.

"For appeasing my mother. She doesn't have a daughter and she really can't play dress up with me now can she?"

Onyx rolled her eyes. "You owe me big time. That was the most humiliating experience of my life. And the dress I have to wear, oh boy do you owe me."

"Where is it?" Cedric asked.

Onyx pointed to the green thing draped over the chair.

"She's making you wear THIS?!" Cedric stammered, holding the dress up, trying very hard not to look horrified.

"Mhmmmm."

"Babe, I'm sorry! That's awful."

"Like I said, you really owe me."

"I know some ways I can make it up to you," Cedric said slyly.

"You can start by fixing this god-awful tan."

"What do you mean?" he asked not understanding.

"Can you try to make this less orange or at least natural looking? I don't want to look like anymore of a freak than I have to in front of the rest of your family."

"I'll take a whack at it," he told her pulling out his wand.

After a few minutes and several different spells, Cedric succeeded in making Onyx's tan just a glow.

"Thank you," she gushed.

"You're welcome," he said kissing her temple. "Now this color does suit you, but I have to say I think I like you better pale."

"That makes two of us," Onyx concurred. "What kind of party is this anyways that your mother insists on me looking like a pumpkin?"

Cedric laughed, "well it's our annual Christmas party. Mother invites our whole family and all her well-to-do friends. It's pretty fancy. She makes dad and I put on our best suits and entertain."

"Lovely," Onyx stated sarcastically.

"So that means that we're supposed to be on our best behavior."

"Gotcha," Onyx nodded.

"On the plus side there is always a lot of eggnog and cream puffs," Cedric joked attempting to lighten the mood.

"Is this really eggnog we are talking about?" Onyx questioned. Maybe this party wouldn't be too horrible.

"Of course. A few glasses of that and that dress shouldn't even bother you. Besides, mother will be very preoccupied with all her guests that I doubt she would notice if you snuck up stairs and changed into your dress."

"What? Why?" Onyx asked not following Cedric's train of thought.

"Your other dress is far more attractive than the one my mother lent you to wear. It's far sexier," Cedric goaded.

Onyx didn't know what to say. She blushed.

"You're so cute when you blush," he told her, kissing her. "I can't wait to show you off to my cousins," he said as he pulled away.

Onyx raised her eyebrows.

"You see, my cousins are always bragging about how attractive their girlfriends are. And conveniently for them, their girlfriends never seem to be able to show up for family functions. So now, I can prove them wrong. They didn't believe me when I told them I was dating you, so they are going to be very surprised to see you here, especially if you wear the black dress instead of the green one."

"Show me off? Ced, I'm nothing to show off."

"Why wouldn't I want to show you off?"

"Because I'm not show off-able?" she shrugged.

Cedric pulled her into his chest, "I don't think you realize just how beautiful you really are. Even in that swamp thing dress, you still are the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Okay, now your debt is paid," Onyx smiled, kissing his neck.

"However yours isn't," Cedric informed her.

"What? I don't owe you anything," she affirmed.

"Correction my dear, you owe for the whole George and the shower incident," Cedric pointed out.

"It wasn't on purpose! It's not like I wanted George to see me in the shower, I would have much rather it have been you," Onyx said through her teeth.

"Really? You would have wanted that to be me?" Cedric quipped as he wrapped his arms around her waist and began to kiss her neck.

"Yes," Onyx sighed exasperatedly. "Haven't we been over this before?"

"Yes, but you have never told me that you wanted it to be me."

"I could have sworn I told you."

"Nope, I would have remember and fortunately for you, I have an impeccable memory," he whispered leaning in to kiss her lips.

Onyx's back hit the comforter on the bed as Cedric slid on top of her snogging her passionately. Things were becoming heated just as Mrs. Diggory waltz in the room without knocking.

"WHAT IT GOING ON HERE?!" she shouted flabbergasted.

Cedric shot straight up from his prostrate position on the bed. "Hello mother," said quickly. "What a lovely December evening we're having tonight, eh?" he continued rubbing the back of his neck.

"Cedric Amos Diggory. And under my roof!" she stormed.

"Well what did you honestly expect, mother? She is my girlfriend. It's not like you dad never did stuff like this."

"Never! Never under my mother's roof!" she shrieked.

Onyx began shrinking under the covers, wishing terribly that she could apparate at this present time to be anywhere but here.

"And you!" Mrs. Diggory cried , pointing a finger at Onyx, who had the covers pulled all the way up to under her eyes. "You are corrupting my son!"

"Mother, it's not her fault," Cedric defended.

"Yes, it is. No need to be the hero. If she is corrupting you, I have a right to know!"

"If anyone is doing the corrupting in our relationship, it's me."

"I refuse to believe it, you're just sticking up for her. I've had enough for one day, good night!" she snapped shrilly adding a slam of the door for emphasis.

"Ced, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault and I got you in so much trouble. I should never have come, in fact, I better leave now," Onyx said jumping out of bed and grabbing her coat, making a break for the door.

"No, don't leave," Cedric begged, intercepting her and hugging her tightly. "Listen, she was bound to find out sometime that her son is not as perfect as she thinks he is. Plus, I'd be really lonely without you here. Please stay."

Onyx thought it over, "for you. I am only staying for you."

"That's all I ask," Cedric told her with a quick kiss on the lips. "Now, we best go to bed in our own rooms. I'll see you at breakfast, sleep well," he bid her goodnight with another kiss.

"Night," she weakly called after him as he shut the door behind him.

Onyx fell backwards on the bed. This was going to be a very interesting next few days, very interesting.


	23. Chapter 23

"You know, she's probably going to come back with a huge engagement ring." Harper was pouting on the couch in the Weasley's living room, arms folded across her chest. "Then she's going to keep talking about it and moving the date until next thing you know, she's married next year and drops out of Hogwarts."

George, sitting on the ground near her feet, writing something on a piece of parchment, snorted. "Do you really think that Pretty Boy would leave Hogwarts before his reign was over?"

"Do you really think he's going to propose?" Fred asked, trying for a teasing tone.

"She'll probably be knocked up, too," George muttered. Fred aimed a kick at him.

"That's not funny. That means he'd have to sully her and my Onyx ain't getting sullied by nobody."

Harper watched him sympathetically. She knew it must be hard for him, trying to act jovial when in reality his heart was shattering into millions of pieces. He had been uncommonly quiet ever since Onyx had left with Cedric. George was helping by not helping the situation at all, which in a weird way distracted his twin from his pain. Even so, his face fell anytime Onyx or Cedric was mentioned in the conversation. "Onyx is not getting pregnant," she said firmly, just now coming back to the conversation. "She's smarter than that."

"Yes, but is he?" George asked. He had resorted to answering Harper at all times in the hopes that she would slip or relent and just start talking to him again. So far, however, he had been unsuccessful. It was maddening, having her so silent towards him. There was now nothing he regretted more than trying that stupid stunt and he cursed his own stupidity for ever thinking it would work. It had ended up too costly.

"Can you magically seduce someone?" Fred asked worriedly as a thought suddenly struck him. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes, its called alcohol," Harper informed him. "Would you calm down, Fred? She's not going to sleep with him. Trust me, I know her better than all of you combined."

"I wouldn't put it past Cedric, though," George said darkly. "He's probably got it all planned out."

Upon hearing this, Fred flung his hands over his ears and started singing horribly off key. "I'm not listening because you're a git and I don't like you."

"Fred, stop it." Harper winced as his voice reached a pitch only dogs could hear. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't hear her so she had to poke him. "You really have it bad, don't you?"

It wasn't a question, so he didn't answer. Instead he blushed, which was answer enough.

"Oh Fred," Harper sighed in sympathy. "You should have said something to her sooner. Like, before she started going out with Pretty Boy."

Fred let out a moan and collapsed onto the couch, burying his head into the pillows. George looked from Fred to Harper.

"Wait, she knows?" he asked his brother. "I thought that was our secret!"

Harper bit her tongue, really wanting to respond but pride not allowing her to. Thankfully Fred saved her.

"Of course she knows, she called me out on it before Pretty Boy did," he spat. "Because I'm so bloody obvious, and then Onyx went ahead to went out with that git anyway…"

"Onyx knows too?" George gaped.

Harper found herself shaking her head.

"I—I don't think so," Fred began. He looked at Harper. "She still doesn't know, right?"

"There's no way," Harper assured him. "She would have said something to you. And to me. Trust me. She doesn't suspect you at all."

Fred looked only slightly relieved. "Should I tell her?" he asked as inspiration struck.

"Negative," George said, not looking up from his parchment. "She would hate you forever for dropping that while she's going out with Cedric."

"Would she really?" The color seemed to drain from Fred's face. Harper watched him carefully.

"Fred. Relax. I've never seen you act like this, it's freaking me out."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "It's not my fault. It's Pretty Boy's."

"It's not his fault you both like her, any more than it's his fault that you didn't make a move soon enough," Harper said, ever the peace maker.

"Well it's his fault that he didn't give me a chance!"

"No it's not, he didn't know he needed to give you one!" Harper shot back. "Nobody knew."

"That's the whole point of a secret crush!" Fred cried. "Nobody is supposed to know, it's a secret!"

"Then how are we supposed to help you get her?" George cut in. "We could have been putting in a good word for you."

Fred scoffed. "Yeah, after weeks of teasing and threatening to tell her for me."

"I wouldn't have done that," George said, sounding offended. "I would have threatened to tell her first."

"Point is," Harper said, raising her voice above the twins. "Next time something like this happens, you really ought to tell at least _someone_ so you have an ally and so that they can keep Pretty Boy's hands off her."

George appraised her. "You really don't like him, do you? I'm shocked. You're the nice one, you're the one who's supposed to like everyone regardless of how evil they are."

Harper stopped just as she was about to launch onto another Cedric assault. That was the nicest thing George had ever said to her. She stood there, torn between saying something and remaining stubborn with pride.

Fred broke the silence. "That is the cheesiest thing you have ever been stupid enough to say."

"I thought it was sweet," Harper told Fred. "Don't make fun of him."

"Oh, are you sticking up for me now?" George asked hopefully. "About bloody time, it's only been weeks since I last heard your voice speak my name."

Fred glanced at Harper to see her reaction. "George, you haven't been taking any love potions have you?"

George turned back to his parchment, making a show of scribbling something down. "Now, what makes you ask that?"

"Because you're acting like you took one."

"Where on earth would I have gotten a love potion?" George laughed.

"Mum. You know she can make them. Pretty strong too, from what I've heard Dad say," Fred was explaining.

"Please," George laughed again. "I'd be far cheesier if I had taken a love potion."

"Okay, why are we talking about love potions all of a sudden?" Harper burst. "We were talking about Fred and Onyx."

"Yeah, and now we're talking about George and you," Fred said simply. "You know, for someone who's almost as smart as Onyx, you sure do stupid well."

"She's not stupid, just slow," commented George.

"Or maybe she's not slow at all, just selective," Fred said thoughtfully.

"What are you guys talking about?" Harper demanded. "How did we jump from Fred to me being slow?"

"Because you are," George said impatiently. "You are impossibly slow and it drives me crazy. You're perceptive as far as everyone else is concerned except for me."

Harper blinked. This conversation had taken an uncomfortable turn and she already didn't like it. She looked at Fred, trying to convey that she wanted him to say something first so that she could speak. He needed no prodding.

"Alright, George, lay off her," he said wearily. "You know you can hardly blame her for acting this way."

"Acting what way?" Harper asked quickly.

"The whole vow of silence you've taken up," George explained. "It's really made life grand, you know. I love not being able to talk to you, it's as though all of my problems have been solved."

"That's your own bloody fault, I told you from the beginning," Fred pointed out. "I told you somebody was going to get hurt, but did you listen to me? No. Now look at you. You've been reduced to love potions."

"I'm not using love potions!" George cried. "Do you honestly think I would try that after plan A failed so miserably?"

Fred smirked, glad to have somebody else as miserable as he was now. "I don't know, you certainly seem desperate enough." He disappeared onto the couch as George sprung and attacked him.

"_Boys_!" Harper yelled in shock as they tussled on the cushions. "Stop beating each other up! What would your mother do if she saw you right now?"

That made them freeze. "Good," she continued, thankful that they actually stopped. "Can we move on now?"

The twins stared at her. "Move on?" they repeated in unison.

"Harper, do you realize how hard it is to move on after something like this?" Fred asked her, letting go of George and fixing his collar.

"No, of course not…"

"Then you have no clue how long it takes, do you?" George was asking. "We've both been trying for months and it's just not working. You can't just up and say, well I think I'm going to move on today! It doesn't work like that."

There was an uncomfortable nudge in Harper's stomach as he spoke. She tried to shake it off as she said, "Okay new subject. What are you getting your parents for Christmas?"

A smile twitched on George's face but he tried to hide it. "You don't like talking about this, do you?"

"Of course not, she's Harper. She has about the same amount of emotional understanding as Ron does," Fred teased.

Harper rolled her eyes. "I understand a lot more than you think I do, Fred. I just don't want to talk about this anymore."

"And why is that? Are you feeling guilty for what you're doing to me?" George taunted.

She glared at him. It was the first time she'd actually looked at him since she had stomped off that night at the dance. He tried to glare back but ended up just looking guilty.

"Okay, fine, I deserve that," he relented. "But this is taking too long. Just talk to me already."

"George, she'll only talk to you when your manhood has shrunk to the size of a gnome's," Fred said, walking out and patting his twin on the shoulder for mock comfort. George made a face at his brother's retreating back until he realized that he was alone with Harper, who was now curled up in a ball on the couch.

"You're not really going to wait until my manhood has shrunk to the size of a gnome's, are you?" he asked worriedly.

She let out a soft laugh. "George, you know I don't care what size your manhood is."

He blinked at her, unsure if he had heard right. Not only did she actually seem to have spoken to him finally, but it seems that she had made a somewhat dirty joke as well… "Did—did you just make a funny?"

"It's not that big of a deal when somebody else makes a joke, you know. You two aren't the only ones allowed to be funny."

"Yeah but, you just said something to me," he said in disbelief. "Right? Am I forgiven?"

"Of course not! I'm just tired of not talking is all."

His face fell. "So it's not just because you missed me?"

"How could I possibly miss you when you were constantly in my face, trying to get me to talk?" she laughed.

"Because you like me." He stated it like a fact.

"False," she told him. "I just got bored."

"And you missed me," he added.

"You know what, maybe I do like you," she shot back. She cursed herself for saying it the second it left her lips, however, because he was suddenly smirking.

"I knew it," he grinned. "So that's why you went to the dance with me."

"Yeah, and look how well _that_ turned out," she snapped. "Landed us in this mess, didn't it?"

"This isn't a mess," he said. "It's a speck of dirt."

"Well going with you that night was a mistake," she told him, laying her head back down on the pillow and looking at the ceiling. "And the fact that you've shown no remorse whatsoever only further proves it."

"Whoa whoa, wait a second," he said, scooting over to her. "You had fun, though, didn't you?"

She wished he wouldn't sit so close to her. "Yeah," she said slowly, inching away from him. "But that's beside the point. That was also before I found out—you know. How awful you are."

The blow hardly affected him. "And you say I've shown no remorse?" he continued.

She eyed him. "Well you haven't."

"You haven't given me a chance."

"You never _took_ the chance," she corrected. "You've had plenty of opportunities, actually."

"But none of them were the right opportunities," he explained. "I was waiting for the opportune moment."

"Which is?" she asked warily.

"Now." He bent down and picked up the parchment he had been writing on and settled in front of her, clearing his throat.

"George, what are you doing?" she asked him, suddenly worried.

"Apologizing. Now hush so I can do this right." He made a show of flattening the paper before clearing his throat again. She waited.

"Dear Harper," he began. "I am sorry."

She looked at him expectantly. "Is that it?"

"What do you mean, is that it? It's an apology! What more do you want?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "It just seems so short."

"Short, sweet, and to the point. I didn't feel like dragging it out."

She lay back down in a huff.

"What, that wasn't good enough? Why do you have to be so bloody difficult?"

"Because that hardly covered it," she told him, rolling over so he faced her back.

"At least I said sorry," he muttered. "And you're talking to me again so that has to mean something."

She ignored him, something he was quick to notice.

"Oh come on, not that again. Harper," he poked her. "Harper come on. Don't do this to me. I hate that."

"Good," was all she said.

"So now you like causing me pain? Fine. It's not like I don't deserve it, anyway," he said, sitting down with his back resting on the couch. "Actually, I probably deserve a lot worse than the silent treatment. I suppose I ought to be thankful you aren't burning effigies of me all over the place."

She snorted at this, but he seemed to think it was a sob.

"Come on, Harps," he pleaded. "I didn't mean it. I mean, at first I did but only because I was stupid and it lasted like, a week. The rest of it was real. I didn't really know it at the time, but that's just because I'm stupid and not because I don't like you."

Harper turned around to face him but all she could see was the back of his head as he continued his apology.

"I guess I just thought I liked Onyx because you guys spend so much time together, maybe I just got it mixed up. Hermione says there's this thing called misdirected affection where you think you like someone but really like someone they're close to because they're so similar and always together and it's easy to get yourself confused. But then I really got to know you and then I saw you in that dress and by then I had forgotten why I was doing it in the first place…" He trailed off, now looking at the floor in misery. Harper didn't know what to say. It was like he had just professed his love or something, which was outright impossible. And yet, that's exactly what it had sounded like. He was still staring at the floor as she slid off the couch and sat down next to him.

"You know, I hated not talking to you," she said. "That was probably the longest several weeks of my life."

"Sure, sure," he said. "I'm sure it tortured you being unable to talk to me."

"Actually," she told him. "It did. It got really hard towards the end, too, because I always wanted to laugh at something you said. I hate that about you, how much you make me laugh when I don't want to."

He risked a glance at her. "So you hate me."

"Only sometimes," she smiled, hugging her knees. "Most of the time you just annoy me though."

He leaned his head back against the couch. "You're impossible, did you know that?"

"And you're impossible to ignore, so we're even."

"Even? So everything's all forgiven now? No more vow of silence?"

She sighed. "No more vow of silence," she muttered.

"Yes!" George pumped his fist into the air. "Ten points for George for getting off your bad side."

"That's only worth ten points?" she asked indignantly. "I haven't even totally forgiven you!"

He shrugged. "Good enough for me. You take your time with that. I'm going to enjoy the sound of your voice in the mean time."

She rolled her eyes. "Cheesy."

"But you love it."

"Wrong pronoun," she muttered.

"Hmm? Did you just say something I might possibly want to hear?" George simpered batting his eyelashes.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all," Harper smiled to herself.


	24. Chapter 24

It was quite possibly the most peaceful night of sleep of Onyx's life. That is, until the door suddenly flew open.

"Wakey wakey! It's a beautiful day outside!" Mrs. Diggory swept in and within a second the blinds flew open with a clatter and the sunlight spilled over onto the bed, thus blinding Onyx as she blinked her eyes open. She let out a loud groan.

"I want you downstairs at the table, fully dressed, in ten minutes," Mrs. Diggory was saying and then she left with a glare. Onyx didn't feel like getting up quite yet, however, especially because Cedric's mother had just woken her up so rudely.

Cedric. Onyx had completely forgotten where she was. Eagerly, she jumped up and rush across the hall, knocking on the door and opening it without awaiting reply.

"Hey, Ced," she greeted him.

"Yes?" he asked, going through a drawer full of neatly folded clothes in neatly folded rows, sorted by color.

"Is she always like this?" Onyx asked, watching him search and sort until he finally chose a suitable shirt.

"Like what?" He found the clothes and turned to her.

"Like… so nunnish."

He looked confused. "Nunnish?"

"You know, like some strict sister at a Catholic school," Onyx explained.

"What's a Catholic school?"

"You don't know what a Catholic school is?" Onyx asked in astonishment. She was so shocked that she forgot what they had been talking about in the first place.

"Is it a Muggle thing?"

She nodded.

"Then no, I don't." He looked apologetic. "Is it like Hogwarts?"

She laughed. "No, it's religious."

"No magic then," he smiled. "You might want to get dressed. She's serious when she says we have ten minutes."

Onyx had forgotten that they had a time constraint. With far less eagerness than she had arrived with, she left Cedric's room and hastened to her own, grabbing a dress at random from her bag in stark contrast to her boyfriend. She pulled on some black leggings and met Cedric out in the hallway.

"So you don't know what a Catholic school is," she said, still amazed as they walked down the stairs together and walked into the kitchen.

"Muggle religions never concern us," he shrugged.

"Just in time," his mother interrupted. "You had four minutes left."

Onyx wished that Harper were here so that she could have someone to complain to. She knew Harper would be just as appalled by Mrs. Diggory as she was. Harper would probably make faces behind her back, even. Or threaten to poke her with her knitting needles. The thought of this made Onyx laugh and her laugh made Mrs. Diggory narrow her eyes at her.

"Is there something about me that you find funny?" she asked Onyx, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, I was just thinking about my friend. She's really funny when you think about it," Onyx scrambled to say.

"Whatever you say," she said turning away to finish preparing breakfast.

"You are really funny in the morning," Cedric told Onyx as he pulled out her chair for her.

"Yeah, my brain doesn't quite work right until noon."

Cedric laughed, "see? This is why I like you so much." Cedric took her hand.

Just then Mrs. Diggory walked over to the table. She smacked their hands with a spatula. Onyx instantly recoiled her hands and brought them into her lap. Mrs. Diggory set a plate of eggs and toast on the table as Mr. Diggory entered the room.

"Morning all!" he greeted them brightly.

"Morning, dad," Cedric chirped as his dad ruffled his hair.

"I trust you slept well, dear?" he asked Onyx, placing a caring hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, thank you. My bed was very comfortable," she answered.

Mrs. Diggory scoffed. "I'm sure you would have slept better if Cedric was in there with you," she muttered just loud enough for Onyx to hear.

"What was that you said, love?" Mr. Diggory wanted to know.

"Oh, just talking to myself as usual," she covered.

Breakfast was uneventful seeing as most of it was spent in silence. Well, at least until Onyx had a question.

"Mrs. Diggory, I was wondering if there was anything that I could do to help you get ready for your party tonight?" Onyx wanted to know. She desperately wanted to get on Ced's mom's good side.

Mrs. Diggory was taken aback. "That was very nice of you to offer, but my party planner has it all set. She should be here shortly so all I need you to do is make yourself scarce."

On that note, Onyx got up, put her dish in the sink and went up stairs.

"That wasn't very nice, mother. All she wanted to do was help. She's trying very hard to be on your good graces; the least you could do is give her a break," Cedric said watching his girlfriend's retreating back.

"Cedric, I am just trying to provide that girl with a wakeup call. She's not good enough for you," Mrs. Diggory snipped.

"You don't know that. You haven't even tried to get to know her at all! You haven't even given her a chance," Cedric said, trying to keep from yelling. He had heard enough, he turned on heel and went up stairs to see Onyx.

He saw her sitting on her bed, looking out the window.

"Hey . You okay?" he asked wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm fine. It takes more than a few snarky comments to take me down," she assured him, snuggling deeper into his arms.

"Since we have to make ourselves scare until the party, want to go do something outside of the house?"

"Yes please," she said brightly popping up off the bed.

"I know just the spot to take you, too," Cedric mused. "You better put on something warm, it's quite chilly outside."

"That's okay," Onyx told him slipping into her coat, "I have you to keep me warm," she quipped, kissing him on the cheek.

He smiled warmly at her. "Let me grab my coat." Cedric slipped out of the room and went to grab his warmer things.

Onyx was waiting in the hallway leaning up against the wall. Cedric scanned her up and down. "What are those things?" Cedric asked pointing to Onyx's legs.

"These?" she asked kicking up her leg. "These are leg warmers, Ced."

"And they keep your legs warm?" he tried to clarify.

"Exactly," she said linking her arm with his. "See? You're getting a handle on all this Muggle stuff."

"I think I just have an excellent Professor," he said nuzzling his nose into her cheek as they walked down the steps.

"And where are you two lovebirds going?" Mr. Diggory smiled knowingly.

"Just stepping out for a bit, Dad. We figured mom might want to have the house to herself today. Plus, there's somewhere I'm dying to take Onyx," he winked at his father, who again smiled knowingly.

"Have fun you two!" he said shooing them out the door.

"And just where are we going?" Onyx asked now insanely curious about the previous banter between her boyfriend and his father.

"It's a surprise," he teased, pulling the front door shut behind him.

"As always." She grinned. "You know, I love it when you surprise me."

"You're very easy to surprise. Just wait for tonight," Cedric taunted.

Her eyes widened with fear. "What are you planning for tonight?"

He smirked. "You know that if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, right?" he checked.

"Okay fine, so where are we going now?" she asked as he took a hold of her arm.

"Right now we're Apparating," he told her. "Hold tight."

She closed her eyes tight and soon the experience was over. It almost made her glad that she wasn't quite seventeen yet. She opened her eyes one at a time. "Where are we?"

"In the woods," he told her, and after looking around, she saw that he was right.

"Why the woods?" she asked warily, wondering what on earth he could have wanted to show her here in the middle of the trees.

"Because I can't very well Apparate amongst the Muggles, now can I?" he asked, taking her hand and leading her through the dense underbrush.

"We're going to be near Muggles?" This was surprising.

"Surprised?" he grinned.

"A little. Perhaps more confused than anything," she admitted.

"We're just going to a store," he told her. "Nothing scary."

And so he lead her through the woods for a few minutes until she saw the light breaking through and heard noises that could only come from traffic. When they finally broke through, he stayed on the sidewalk and began leading her towards a tiny shop on the corner.

"A coffee shop?" she asked skeptically, eyeing the sign on the door.

He blinked. "You know what coffee is?"

She looked at him blankly and had to laugh. "Do I know what coffee is? I've only had it every day of my life. It's a Muggle staple."

He looked slightly crestfallen and then brightened up slightly. "Well you've never been here, and this place is special."

"And why is it so special?" Onyx asked as he opened the door for her and let her in.

"Because this is where my parents met," he said with a small smile.

Onyx looked around the place with a new appreciation. It was a small coffee shop and just like any other, except perhaps a bit cozier. "Really?" she asked, now confused. "What were they doing in a Muggle coffee shop?"

"Research," he shrugged. "My dad wanted to know what coffee was and my mum was lost."

Onyx tried to hide her smile at the thought of Mrs. Diggory being lost in a Muggle town.

"So, would you like anything?" Cedric asked, breaking Onyx's humorous reverie.

"What? Do I want anything where?" she asked, not even paying attention.

He smiled patiently. "Do you want any coffee?" he clarified.

"Oh, right," she said, remembering why they were there. "Do you have Muggle money?"

"Of course I do," he said, almost looking insulted. "I wasn't planning on stealing it."

"This is so exciting," Onyx bubbled. "I haven't had coffee in years! I think I want… a caramel frappacino," she decided. She looked to Cedric. "What about you?"

Cedric looked slightly sheepish. "What should I get? I have no clue what any of this stuff is, it's almost foreign." He scanned the menu board. "What's a mocha?"

Onyx had to laugh. All too often she forgot how different the Muggle and Wizarding worlds were. Something as simple as coffee was foreign to Cedric? Shaking her head, she went up to the barista, ordered her frappacino and a mocha for Cedric. She paid, taking the money from Cedric, and then they sat down while their order was being made.

"This is so confusing," Cedric said, looking around. "And so noisy," he added, eyeing the barista as she made Onyx's coffee.

"Welcome to the Muggle world," Onyx said brightly. "Oh look, your coffee is ready," she pointed. He got up and took it from the barista and then turned back to Onyx.

"It's hot," he said in surprise.

"What did you expect?" she laughed. "It's coffee."

"But I don't know what coffee _is_," he emphasized. A passing Muggle looked at him as if he were crazy. He smiled embarrassedly.

"Oh, Ced," Onyx sighed, taking her drink from the barista and leading him to an empty table in the corner of the shop near the fireplace. "Sometimes I forget how silly you are."

"You think I'm silly?" he asked.

She glanced at him. "Is that a bad thing?"

He thought for a minute. She didn't like that it was taking him so long to answer.

"No not really," he said finally. "I just don't usually have that word applied to me, is all."

"You need to change that," she decided. "I like it when you're silly."

"You've never said that before," he mused. "Why do you like me silly?"

"Um because you're more fun that way," she shrugged. "It's like the real you comes out."

"So who am I normally?" he wanted to know.

"Reserved," she said without a skipping a beat, sitting down at the table.

"You think I'm reserved?" he asked, stopping in his tracks to look at her. Onyx hadn't noticed that he had stopped.

"Only a little. It's like you're holding back or something." Onyx hesitated as she realized he wasn't sitting down yet. "It's not bad," she said quickly. "I still like you."

"So…" Cedric seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "So, do you think I'm boring?"

"Boring?" Onyx gaped. Where had this conversation gone? "Ced, I don't think you're boring at all!" She hurried up and brought him over to the table, and took his hand in hers. "I wouldn't like you so much if you bored me."

He seemed to take small solace in this fact and wrapped his arms around her. "But would you like me better if I were silly?" he teased.

"I don't think it's possible to like you better," she pointed out.

"That was cheesy," he rolled his eyes.

"But true," she assured him, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're not boring, Ced. Trust me."

He gave a long sigh. "If you insist…"

She caught him trying not to grin. "Oh you're just being difficult," she said. "Don't scare me like that."

"But it's so fun!" he teased. "You should try it sometime."

"You're so mean to me," she pouted.

"Well you're abusive," he shot back.

"You're lying."

"And you're absolutely ridiculous," he joked while kissing her forehead.

"Wake up!"

Harper only had time to blink before the covers were ripped off her, leaving her lying on the bed with no blankets. "Hey!" she cried, scrambling to get them back from whomever had taken them away. "Oh, it's you."

George stood there, decked out in a sweater, scarf, hat and mittens, holding the comforter in his hands. He grinned at Harper, who was now sitting there in her plaid sleeping pants and a grey tank.

"Do you mind?" she asked him, reaching for the comforter again. He held it out of her reach, still grinning.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to get this back from me," he informed her. "Or you could just get dressed and meet me in the kitchen."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Dear Harper, haven't you learned to trust me yet?" he asked, pretending to be put out.

"You're a Weasley twin. You can't be trusted by default."

He considered this. "Well in any case, hurry up and get dressed. I have a surprise for you."

"It's not any of your candy, is it?" she asked as he walked back to the door, still holding her comforter.

"No, but that is a good idea." He dropped the comforter on the floor and he opened the door and slipped out. "You have five minutes."

And then he was gone. She sat there for a few seconds until she began shivering. With a sigh, she crawled off the bed and headed over to her suitcase, picking out her warmest clothes. She brushed her teeth and then found George waiting for her in the kitchen.

"About time!" he complained. "Blimey, you're such a girl."

She made a face at him. "So what are we doing? It better be good because I really don't appreciate getting woken up like that."

"Why, were you afraid I'd see you in pajamas and run away screaming?" he teased.

"You snuck in her room while she was sleeping?" Mrs. Weasley berated him, coming into the room. "George, have I taught you nothing of manners?"

"Mum, I didn't do anything. I just took off her covers to wake her up."

His mother's eyes widened. "What if she had been naked?"

Harper felt herself blush. "I don't sleep naked, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh I know you don't dear, but that's the sort of thing he needs to keep in mind when he acts on impulse," Mrs. Weasley said, walking to the sink to start cooking breakfast.

"You don't think that would have been a driving factor?" Fred sneered, already sitting at the table. He put his head down as his mother glared at him.

"So," she began to change the subject. "What are you kids doing today?"

"Ice skating," George announced promptly. "Coming, Fred?"

"You bet. I wouldn't miss a chance to see you fall on your arse," Fred said brightly, getting up from the table and getting his boots by the door.

Mrs. Weasley's mood changed almost immediately. "Oh, do make sure you're warm enough. Harper, do you have mittens and boots?"

"I have boots, but not really mittens…" Harper trailed off.

"No worries, we have plenty," Fred told her. He went over to a closet and pulled the door open. Mittens, hats and scarves practically fell out. "See?"

Laughing, Harper went over and picked out some blue mittens with a matching hat. "Ready," she told the twins.

"Now you be careful!" Mrs. Weasley warned them. "I don't want you all coming back here with stories that somebody fell in through the ice."

"Relax Mum, we're only going to the pond. You know how thick it gets," George rolled his eyes.

"Almost as thick as George's head," Fred added. He ducked and ran out the door as George chased after him.

"Look after them, will you dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked Harper as she watched her sons race across the yard.

"Of course," Harper said, ducking as a snowball nearly hit her in the face. "That wasn't fair!" she yelled at the twins. "I was talking to your mother!" She ran after them, leaving Mrs. Weasley to shake her head.

Harper ended up chasing after them until she caught up with them at what could only be the pond. It was larger than she expected and at once she wondered if it really were thick enough to hold them all. "So." She said. "Where are the skates?"

Fred and George looked at each other. George automatically put his finger on his nose.

"Nose goes!" he said triumphantly. He gave Fred a shove. "Hurry back."

Fred grimaced. "I wish we were seventeen already," he grumbled to himself. "It would make life so much easier…" He trudged off nonetheless and George decided it would be a good idea to walk on the ice while he waited.

"George, please be careful," Harper said automatically.

"Aw Harper, are you worried for me?" he teased.

"No, I just don't want to have to be the one who has to go in to get you," she answered.

"Logical." He turned to face her. "But I still don't believe you."

"I still don't care what you think," she shot back.

"Lies. You care too much."

"George, you are so weird," she told him.

"And you're so stubborn, so it evens out." He started running and then sliding on the ice to pass the time. He went too far and landed in a drift of snow, which then preceded to fall on top of him. Harper was laughing so hard that she almost fell to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, George, I can't believe you just did that," she told him, holding her stomach because she was getting a stitch from laughing so hard. He emerged from the snow, white powder covering him from head to toe. As funny as it was to her, she could see that he was already shivering so still laughing, she went over to him and started brushing the snow off his clothes. "You know, one of these days you're going to do something stupid and end up really hurt," she told him.

"Good thing you're always looking out for me," he said as she continued to brush the snow off.

"Am not. I just always happen to be around," she corrected him.

"And why is that?" he asked with the air of someone who already knew the answer.

"Because nobody else can stand to be around you for long periods of time," she told him, stepping away to admire her handiwork. "I can put up with more than most people."

"Well aren't you special."

She shrugged indifferently. "It's not as though I enjoy it."

His next words died in his throat. "Wait, what?" he asked, caught off guard.

She smiled. "Relax, I was kidding. Don't get your bloomers all tied up in a knot."

"What's this about bloomers?" Fred asked, coming behind them and towing three pairs of ice skates. He handed George a pair, and one to Harper, and then sat down to put on his own.

"Harper wants to tie mine in a knot," George informed his brother.

"Kinky," Fred said, now tying the laces on his skates.

"I do not!" Harper said indignantly. "He was the one getting all upset when I said I didn't enjoy spending time with him."

"Well I certainly don't blame you," Fred told her. "I have no clue how you put up with him so much. He's a terrible bore to be around."

Harper stood up and decided to change the subject. "So why did we need to get out here so early?" she asked. "The sun's not even up yet," she realized. "What time _is_ it?"

"A little after five," George answered, trying not to get his laces tangled up. He was failing miserably.

"Five?" Harper sputtered. "Why are we out here so early?"

"You'll see in about thirty minutes," George said secretively. "In the mean time, will somebody please help me tie these?" He held up his tangled laces in defeat.

"I vote Fred," Harper said, stepping out onto the ice and skating away expertly.

Fred and George watched her in awe. "You can skate?" George sputtered.

She turned around to face them. "Yeah. You didn't know that? I've been skating my whole entire life."

George, much to her surprise, looked disappointed.

"What?" she asked.

"I thought we'd have to teach you," he admitted. "You know, since athletics really aren't your thing."

"I'm taking offense to that," she huffed. She started skating backwards, waiting for the boys to finish tying their knots.

"You can skate backwards, too?" Fred looked impressed. "It would seem that we underestimated her, dear brother."

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises," shrugged Harper nonchalantly, still skating. "You two are slow. Would you hurry up and get out here?"

"Do you miss us that much?" George asked, standing up and wobbling over to the pond.

"No, I'm just lonely."

"For us?" Fred asked. "I'm not used to you being so affectionate. This is strange."

Harper flushed. She hated it when people brought up her lack of affection because it made her feel bad. "Sorry," she muttered. She was distracted as Fred then fell. She laughed but hurried over to help him up. "You okay?"

"Sure sure," he said, trying to get up to his feet too quickly and almost falling again. He almost pulled Harper down with him. "So, does Onyx like ice skating?" he asked conversationally.

Harper rolled her eyes. She loved how Fred still continued to hide it from her, as if she didn't already know. "You don't need to be all sneaky about it, Fred. But no, she doesn't. She refers to it as 'ice crashing'."

Fred laughed, letting go of her finally. "So this wouldn't fly with her, would it?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, mate. She'd much prefer a walk in the sunset or something like that. Or maybe going painting."

"Painting?" Fred blinked. "Like, defacing a bed sheet kind of painting?"

"She'd probably marry you on the spot." Harper skated on, but not before catching Fred's grin. Shaking her head, she looked around for George, who was still on the outskirts of the pond. "George, what are you doing?"

"Skating, of course. What does it look like?" he asked.

"It looks like you're being really slow."

"He's acting," Fred whispered. "He's the best skater of all of us."

"Why is he acting?" she whispered back.

"He wants you to help him."

"But he doesn't need my help," she said, confused.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know you know that," Fred said meaningfully. "Come on, Harper, I know you're not that slow."

She frowned. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Much to her relief, Fred's face broke out into a grin. "I am," he told her. "George is right, you are fun to scare." He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him. "What, that was funny."

"Was not. You know I hate the whole boy/girl dynamic. It ruins everything," she grumbled.

"Lies," George said, stealing one of her taglines as he skated up to them. "On the contrary, it makes everything better. Or it can at least. If you let it. Which you probably would never do because you're such an ice box of a meanyface."

Her jaw dropped. "I am not!" she argued.

"Yes, you sort of are," Fred had to agree. "You could have been married by now except you scare all the boys off."

"You're very intimidating," George nodded. "I'm fairly certain the only guy you'll ever get is a Viking because they aren't afraid of anything."

"I…" Harper was at a loss for words. "You guys are being ridiculous. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason I don't have a boyfriend is because I don't want one?"

"What kind of girl doesn't want a boyfriend?" George scoffed.

"The kind that's like me," Harper answered. Having enough of this conversation, she skated backwards until she was ten feet away from them.

"I think she's just afraid of boys," George mused, watching her put more space between them. "Look how far away she is now." He grinned. "Let's go tackle her."

"Do lets!" Fred said excitedly as Harper cried, "Don't you dare!" but dare they did. Soon she was skating for her life all around the pond as the twins chased after her. Being taller they had speed on their side, or at least they would if they had better balance and skills. Harper had skating skills of madness and therefore it was nigh impossible for them to catch her. Slowing down once she realized her victory, she turned around to laugh at them only to have George run into her and knock her into the snow bank.

"Oi, George, get off me!" she yelled in shock as the snow started sneaking down her sleeves.

He looked at her, taking in the situation. "You're bony," he stated simply.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Thanks," she said icily. "Now would you get off me?"

"No, I think I rather enjoy being in this position," he said, clearly enjoying himself.

"Well I don't so get off."

"You are so bossy, did you know that? It's a real repellent." He frowned, as if it upset him.

"Maybe that's why I use it," she challenged.

"Maybe you should stop."

"Maybe you should get off."

"Maybe you should enjoy it," he teased.

"Maybe I should hit you," she snapped.

He laughed at that. "I'd like to see you try—" His words were lost as her fist flew up and hit him in the shoulder. It was a surprisingly forceful punch, especially coming from her, because he ended up falling sideways into the snow.

"Well," she said, standing up and brushing the snow off herself. "That was fun. I should do it again some time." She looked over at Fred, who was now laughing so hard that he was doubled over on the ice.

"George got walloped by a girl," he snorted. George glared at him, sitting on the ground and rubbing his shoulder.

"Ouch, Harper, that actually hurt," he pouted. "Where did you learn to hit like that?"

"Kickboxing," she said proudly. "I never thought I'd actually have to use it."

"I never thought it would actually work," Fred said, still laughing. "Did you see him fall off you?"

"It's not exactly a moment I'd like to revisit, if you don't mind," George muttered.

"I can't wait to tell Mum that Harper beat you up," Fred went on. "She's going to love it."

"If you tell her, I'm going to replace your nose with something far less pleasant," George threatened.

"If you do that, I'll just sic Harper on you again," sniggered his twin. "I'm sure she'd love the opportunity to hit your ugly face again."

"Fred, you're identical," Harper reminded him. "You just called yourself ugly."

Fred blinked. "Bloody hell, I hate it when I do that…"

"Well get your ugly face over here and help me up, will you?" George asked.

"Too injured to get up on your own?" teased his brother. "You did get hit pretty hard."

Harper smiled. She really hadn't meant to hit him so hard, but that wasn't to say that she hadn't enjoyed it. Maybe she had enjoyed it a little too much… He watched the look on her face.

"You are so evil, did you know that?" he asked her, getting up with the help from nobody. "You enjoyed that far too much."

"I know," she grinned. "Causing you pain give my life meaning."

"Spoken like a true Weasley." Fred nodded his approval. "I vote that we keep her around a little while longer."

"I vote we off her and rid ourselves the pain," grimaced George, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder.

"You'd miss me too much," she pointed out.

"My shoulder won't," he muttered to himself.

Fred laughed. "Don't kid yourself, dear brother. There's not an inch of your body that won't miss her."

Harper stopped skating to look at him, not sure if she ought to be disgusted or not. "Should I be flattered or worried?"

"Worried. Very worried," George told her, stepping tentatively onto the ice and making a show of nursing his shoulder. "I think Fred has the hots for you."

"As if," Fred scoffed. "I have better taste than that." He quickly glanced at Harper. "No offense."

"None taken. I know you have good taste," she said with a knowing smile. Fred reddened slightly and suddenly found skating backwards to be of the utmost importance.

George looked from one to the other. "What am I missing?" he asked slowly, sounding as though he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know or not.

"If you're too daft to know, then you aren't worthy of the knowledge," Harper told him.

"Why are you so _mean_ to me?" he asked in wonder.

She gave a noncommittal shrug. "Retaliation."

"I think it's cute," Fred announced.

"I think you're a troll," George told him.

"I think I still want to know why you told me to wait a half hour," Harper cut in.

George's face broke out into a grin. "I forgot about that. Well tell me, are you prepared to be dazzled?"

"Dazzled by what?" she asked. It was hard to see what he was talking about, because it was still so early that it was dark out. The sun wasn't even up yet. She hadn't even noticed this until she saw some pink light peeking up over the hills.

"The sunrise," George said smugly.

She blinked at him. "You brought me out here to see the sunrise?" she asked dully.

His smile faltered. "What, are you deathly afraid of the sunrise or something?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I…" She started to smile. "George Weasley, who knew you were such a romantic deep down in that black abyss of a heart of yours."

Fred nudged George in the side, grinning. "Good call, mate. I didn't think that would soften her up one bit. It appears your sunrise melted her ice box of a heart."

George shoved his brother away, trying to hide his grin nonetheless. "You're such a goober," he accused.

"And you're such a romantic," Fred sang, trying to egg his twin on.

"Would you stop tossing that word around, you're going to ruin my reputation," George hissed, hitting his brother back.

"Don't hit me, you're going to ruin my hair!" Fred whined, taking a swipe at George's injured shoulder.

"Not my shoulder, you git. It's already been bruised!"

"It'll be your ego next," Fred threatened with a mischievous grin.

"No!" George wailed as Harper found herself almost doubled up with laughter from watching their antics. The standing around in the cold was making her shiver, but laughing at the twins was warming her up. The warmth continued to spread as suddenly Fred tackled George to the ground and they began to slide across the ice. They called each other everything from troll to wailing banshee to comparing each other to Ron and making fun of Malfoy. By the time they had both been worn out from the tackle and laughing at each other, the sun was beginning to peek over the hills, cascading a warm, pink light over them. They stopped their play-fight to shield their eyes from being blinded.

"Ouch my eyes," Fred groaned. "Oh how it burns!" He let go of George and began crawling back towards Harper. "George, this was the worst idea you have ever had. I don't think my retinas will ever be the same."

Harper plopped herself down to watch the sun finish its journey over the hills up to the sky. "I think it's one of his more brilliant ideas," she said as Fred made his way over to her. "I've never been to a colder sunrise."

"What are you talking about?" George asked, skating over and plopping himself right next to her. "This is hot."

"What are _you_ talking about?" Fred scoffed. "I think I'm frozen from the waist down."

"Rubbish," George said good naturedly. "Just cuddle up with us then."

"Us?" Harper asked, catching the pronoun. "There is no cuddling going on here."

"Not yet." George looked at his brother. "Are you ready, Fred?"

"Ready when you are," Fred answered.

"Wait, what are you guys doing?" Harper asked quickly, suddenly worried for her safety, but her worries were drowned out by a yell of, "Cuddle attack!" and suddenly she was attacked from both sides in a flurry of long arms and red hair.

"Personal bubble!" she yelled in a muffled voice. "You're invading my personal bubble!"

"Darling, we're popping your personal bubble," George's voice corrected from somewhere near her ear. She gave a sudden shiver at the closeness, despite the sudden warmth.

Fred's voice came from her shoulder. "Personal bubbles are overrated anyway."


	25. Chapter 25

Back in the coffee shop, the conversation had stalled between Cedric and Onyx. This was somewhat worrisome to Onyx, who knew that conversation should come easy between lovers and soul mates but she tried to shove those thoughts aside. Despite the lack of conversation, she still enjoyed his company. That was still important, right? She watched him as he studied his coffee cup, immersed in his own thoughts. She was getting restless in the silence. She felt a sudden surge of jealousy as she thought of Harper, who probably hadn't enjoyed a moment of silence since Onyx left the Burrow. She wondered what she and the twins were up to and if Harper was surviving her alone time with them. She shook her head to shoo the thoughts away. The sudden movement caught Cedric's attention.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said quickly, feeling embarrassed. "Just a fly. So, what do you think of coffee?" Onyx asked in hopes to jumpstart the conversation.

"It's very interesting. But I have to say, I am quite fond of it, I'm going to have drink more of it. What about yours?"

She smiled, "just as good as I remember it being. Harper and I get coffee almost every day when we are back at home. It brings back lots of great memories."

"I hope it will now serve as bringing back memories of us," he said taking the last sip of his mocha.

"It will, along with closets and swimming in fountains," Onyx mused.

"I had forgotten about that," Cedric said with a bitter laugh, remembering the time that Fred and George had pushed him and Onyx in the fountain shortly after they had began dating. "You know Weasley has a thing for you."

"George? Yeah, I kind of figured that one out after he took Harper to the dance just to make me jealous. Obviously, that didn't work because I'm with you, but I think he deep down really likes Harper and has since the dance. I can see it just when we are around The Burrow, he's constantly picking at her and trying to be funnier than usual. It's rather cute, really. It's nice that Harper might have found someone to be with."

"I meant Fred," Cedric said now find the time to put in his clarification.

Onyx scoffed, "Fred doesn't like me." She took a sip of her libation.

"Onyx, it's so obvious. He is always around you, always picking at you, trying to be funnier when you are around, putting other guys down, he even changes his voice when you are around. Haven't you ever noticed?" Cedric pointed out.

Onyx thought for a moment. Fred really did pick on her a lot and he was always trying to make a scene when she was around, like he was trying to get her to notice him or something. Like the time they went to The Three Broomsticks and they sang karaoke and Fred did a dance solo. Or all those times Fred would make an excuse just be around her, like when she was tutoring them. Or all the times he pranked her, or tormented her with the Dead Dead Witch Song or all the other crazy stuff that he did. And then there was the one time before the dance when his eyes lingered too long on her legs when she showed him the heels she had on, or when he tucked that stray curl behind her ear, and that one dance. The dance! Onyx had completely forgotten about the dance that she and Fred shared. That really was a moment wasn't it? The way that she seemed to fit perfectly in his arms, she shivered at the memory. It seemed that she and Fred had shared a lot of quote unquote "moments" together. Like when he saved her and Cedric from Malfoy, or the snowball fight when he tackled her in the snow and then brought her hot chocolate to make up for it, and the time where they were just chilling the common room and he stole her poetry book and read one of her poems, or the time she confided in Fred and poured out all of what was bothering her and he was so receptive and caring about it, how she felt that she mattered to him when he was around. It was much different than the way she felt around Cedric; Cedric adored her, but he was always so possessive that she sometimes just felt like a thing.

"Sweetheart?" Cedric waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, I was thinking. I never realized it. Wow, I must be blind," Onyx laughed.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Cedric wanted to know.

"Do about? I can't just let it lie? It's not hurting anything."

Cedric sighed. "I feel threatened by it."

Onyx smiled warmly at him. Even if he was the jealous type, he really did care a lot about her, and that was good enough for now. "Don't worry about it, I'm dating you and nothing's going to change that," she assured him with a kiss on lips.

Cedric had a goofy smile on his face. "Well, on that note," he laughed. "Are you finished? We should probably get going before my mother serves both our heads for dinner tonight."

"I bet you taste better than I do," she told him as he led her out the door.

"I bet you're wrong," he laughed as he now led her back to the woods where they had first Apparated. "I've tasted myself and I'm actually not very scrumptious."

"I doubt that," she rolled her eyes.

"You are more than welcome to taste for yourself," he offered, taking her arm. "Hold tight."

Next thing she knew, the crushing feeling was back and no sooner did she close her eyes than she felt her feet land on hard, cold ground. "That was fast."

"It's always fast," he chuckled. "I'm fairly certain that is the point."

She made a face at him and in a huff, let go of his arm and marched to the porch by herself. "No need to be a smart alec, dear."

"I'm only saying," he said, crossing the lawn in half the time as her and managing to somehow open the front door for her. "Mum, Dad. We're home!"

Onyx felt her heart sink a little at the sight of Mrs. Diggory, who of course paid no attention to her at all. She grinned at her son, however. "Cedric, just in time. Guess who just RSVP'd for the gala?"

Cedric didn't look too interested in what his mother had to say. "The Prime minister?" he guessed in a bored tone.

"No, silly," his mother said, laughing for what seemed to Onyx the first time since she'd arrived. "Cho Chang!"

Onyx, who had been contemplating how rude it would be to just walk up the stairs, was brought out of her rebellious reverie to stare at Mrs. Diggory. "Cho?"

Cedric seemed a little less shocked than Onyx thought he ought to have been. He almost seemed a tad bit excited. "Oh really," he asked, trying to sound nonchalant as soon as he saw Onyx looking at him.

Mrs. Diggory beamed. "I knew you'd be excited."

Well Onyx wasn't. She saw just how Cedric's ears perked at the sound of Cho's name. She felt a slow simmer of anger from somewhere down near her stomach. Why on earth was he still attached to Cho? They had been done for how long now? Long enough. She shouldn't still pique his interest like this. And why was his mother so happy about it? Why did she like Cho so much? Cho wasn't any better or worse than Onyx. That wasn't right. Onyx stood there and stewed as Mrs. Diggory and Cedric conversed about the rest of the guests, something Onyx really didn't care about at the moment. Not if it meant Cho was going to be there…

Suddenly she was being dragged by her arm up the stairs. "Cedric?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?" she asked even though her question was answered almost automatically as he lead her into his room.

"In here," he answered, now letting go of her. "I figured it would be best to get out of her way now since the party is getting so close."

Onyx considered this and finally decided that it was probably a good idea. "So what now?" she asked, still a little upset about the whole Cho situation.

"We change," he said simply. He went over to his closet and started fishing around for the outfit his mother had chosen for the occasion. Onyx watched him until he turned to her. "You might want to change, too," he said with a small smile.

"Oh, good idea," Onyx said, even though she really didn't feel like appeasing Mrs. Diggory at the moment. She slowly went to her room, not wanting to rush the process. She went to her bag and stopped as her gaze fell onto the dress Mrs. Diggory had chosen for her. For some reason the sight of the thing made the anger inside swell up again. Disgusted, she dug around for her own dress and held it up. Really, it wasn't that bad. It could very easily be worn at a fancy party. Why was Mrs. Diggory so against it?

Who cared? A slow smile crept up Onyx's face. She knew that she didn't care. So why not? Quickly, before she could change her mind, she slipped the dress on and put on her shoes to complete the outfit. Still feeling rebellious, she snatched up her makeup bag and rushed to the bathroom to finish the look. There was nothing but black in this house, not to accent, not to decorate, not to be seen. She began putting on her face and lost herself in the self-therapy until she was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared. She looked up, startled. "Oh, Ced. It's just you."

Cedric looked at her, eye brows raised. "Um, that is a very interesting outfit."

"You don't like it," she said flatly. This didn't help her mood at all.

"No, no, I do," he hastened to assure her, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's very sexy."

She tried not to blush. It was proving very difficult. "Ced, stop it." She tried to hit him but he was holding her too tight.

"What? I can't compliment my hot girlfriend?"

"No, actually, you can't," she teased. "I won't allow it."

"My house, my rules," he reminded her.

"But I'm a guest," she pointed out.

"Still my house."

She gave up. "Can I finish getting ready now?"

He let go of her. "What more do you have to do?" he asked incredulously.

"You have no idea," she said gravely.

"Well I think you look perfect," he told her brushing her hair behind her shoulders to kiss the top of her shoulder. "Though, you might want to put your hair up; as much as I like you, your hair just doesn't taste very good. Plus, your hair gets in the way since it's getting so long," he mused tickling the back of her shoulder with her hair.

"Okay, so if you want me to put my hair up, you are going to need to let go of me for a minute."

He sighed, uncoiled his arms and sat on the toilet lid.

"Are you going to sit there and watch?" Onyx questioned, rooting around in her bag for some bobby pins.

"Yes, actually," he said, watching her intently, "I find this incredibly fascinating."

Onyx laughed, "I'm just doing my hair!" She poofed part of her hair and pinned it back.

"I've never watched a girl do her hair before, not by hand at least."

"Well, then you are welcome to watch," she smiled, pulling some more hair back in the poof. Onyx expertly twisted the rest of her hair in to an intricate bun at the base of the poof and hairsprayed it all in place.

"What is that stuff?" Cedric coughed as he inhaled a few fumes.

"Hairspray. It's what we muggleborns use when we want our hair to stay in one place," she smiled. "Your hair on the other hand is probably not going to be moving anytime this century."

His brow furrowed. "You don't like it?" he asked, running his hand over his slicked back hair.

"It just makes you look old." She bit her bottom lip. "Can I fix it?"

"Work your magic," he said, surrendering his head to her hands.

She grinned and immediately started working on his hair. A few minutes later, she was finished. "Ced, you are hot," she said admiring her work.

Cedric stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. "I have never worn my hair like this before," he stated. "I like it. A lot. I just might have to keep it this way."

"Like I said, you're hot," she told him kissing his cheek. She grabbed her red lipstick and put a little on her lips.

"So what do you muggleborns call this kind of hairstyle?" he wondered tying his tie.

"Sex hair," Onyx tossed over her shoulder on her way out of the bathroom.

"Oh really now? And how would you know about that?" he asked her following her.

"Robert Pattinson wears his hair like this all the time," Onyx informed him, putting her makeup bag back in her bag. "You know, you kind of look a lot like him."

"Robert Pattinson? The name sound familiar, I feel like I should know him," Ced mused leaning against the doorframe.

"He's a muggle actor, I don't think you would have ever heard of him."

"Still, I feel like I am connected with him somehow. Like this hairstyle is receiving alien transmissions from him or something."

"Okay, maybe I used a little too much hairspray on you and the fumes went straight to your head and turned it to soup."

"Whatever you say, babe," Cedric chuckled with a smile.

Onyx slipped on a bracelet and some earring and turned to face Cedric. "Okay, finished product, what do you think?" she wanted to know.

Cedric slinked into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Sexy, very sexy. I don't know if I am going to be able to keep my hands off you," he told her with a very passionate kiss on the lips.

They were interrupted by a light knock on the door. "Everyone decent in there?" they heard Mr. Diggory call.

Cedric sighed and unwrapped his arms from around Onyx, "yes, we're all decent in here."

"Good," Mr. Diggory popped in the door. "Woah, so much for the annual matching monkey suits and hair, son."

Cedric smiled. "I let Onyx have a little fun."

"Well, that shade of lipstick does nothing for you."

Onyx let out a small laugh.

Cedric smiled sheepishly and wiped Onyx's lipstick of his lips.

"Onyx, my dear, you look ravishing!" Mr. Diggory complimented her as he finally noticed his son's girlfriend.

"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," she thanked him. "I appreciate it."

"Well, it is well worth it. My son is lucky to have you on his arm."

"Indeed," Cedric agreed, taking Onyx hand and placing it in the crook of his arm.

"Well, we best be getting downstairs. Your mother told me to come and fetch you two because most of the guests are here already," Mr. Diggory advised Cedric and Onyx.

"Alright, downstairs it is," Cedric said escorting Onyx down the steps behind his father.

Onyx felt her dread grow with each step she took. She didn't know why, but this party held such a feeling of foreboding for her. She just knew that something bad was going to happen. She clutched Cedric's arm as they finally descended the staircase and stepped into the party. The lights were down and it was so dark that she could barely see. There was a low hum of music coming from somewhere that certainly wasn't party music. There were so many people that Onyx had to rely on Cedric to lead her around because she knew she would have bumped into people otherwise.

"Wow, Ced," she said in disbelief. "This is ridiculous. Is it like this every year?"

He nodded. "Its become a really big deal somehow. We get some big names here so that's why Mum gets so freaked out about it."

"Huh." Onyx squinted to get her eyes used to the dark. It didn't help that all that was milling around her were dark figures. She looked around but not once did she see anybody that looked familiar. "Do you even know anybody here?"

He gave a small chuckle. "No. This is my Mum's ordeal. I think I only know my family members. Speaking of which," he looked around the room. "I think I see my cousins." He didn't look very excited at the prospect.

"What's wrong with them?" Onyx asked, craning her neck to see where he was seeing.

Cedric grimaced. "Oh nothing really, they're just always going on about how hot their girlfriends are and yet every time I ask to meet them, they always skirt around the issue."

"Right, I remember you telling me this."

"And now I can rub it in after all these years," he grinned at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"I'm going to introduce you to them."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly afraid. She didn't know if she was up to meeting any more of his family.

"So they can see how hot my girlfriend is," he said simply.

Onyx looked around. "What hot girlfriend?"

"You're silly," he told her, taking her into his arms.

"No, I'm serious," she went on. "Do I have to meet them?"

"Don't you want to?"

"Well, not if you don't like them," she explained. She eyed the two people whom they were vastly approaching. "I don't see any girlfriends."

"I figured as much," Cedric muttered. "Why hello there, Max and Elliot," he greeted jovially.

The two of them shook Cedric's hand somewhat distractedly, as they were both practically ogling Onyx. "Who is this?" the taller one of them asked.

"This would be my girlfriend," Cedric said, trying hard not to sound too proud. "Onyx, this is Max and Elliot."

Onyx held out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you," she greeted them as they scrambled and fought over who would shake her hand first.

"Nice to see you too," Elliot said shaking her hand vigorously.

"Pleasure's mine," Max told her suavely taking her hand from Elliot and kissing the back of it.

"Alright, that's enough," Cedric said snatching Onyx's hand back.

"No need to get grabby, cous," Elliot grumbled.

Cedric rolled his eyes.

"So you must go to Hogwarts," Max stated, attempting to stir up a conversation. "What year are you?"

"I'm a sixth year," Onyx answered.

"And she is the best in her year," Cedric announced, kissing her on the cheek.

"Ced, I'm really not. Harper is if not equal, far better than I am," she humbled, cheeks flushing.

"Babe, there's no need to be modest when you are as talented as you are," Cedric assured her.

"I really don't like talking about this kind of thing," she whispered low enough only for Cedric to hear.

"Wait, what's your last name?" Elliot asked spontaneously.

"Atwood," Onyx answered slowly not comprehending why that would make any difference.

"You're the Gryffindor chaser! The one who is like the best they have had, right?" Elliot practically squeaked.

"I wouldn't know about being the best, but yes I do play for Gryffindor," Onyx clarified.

"Oh, no. You are the best, I have seen you play. I went to one of the games with Cedric when you first started playing."

"I see," Onyx said feeling rather uncomfortable right now.

"That was of course before you and Cedric were dating, which coming to that, how long has he had you?" Elliot wanted to know.

"Don't get any ideas, Elliot," Cedric warned. "She has enough admirers vying for her arm."

"Clearly," Max pointed out, "otherwise you wouldn't be so jumpy."

"I'm not being jumpy," Cedric defended himself.

"Jealous then," Max offered crossing his arms across his chest.

"Dude, can you blame him?" Elliot questioned. "She's freaking hot!"

"I'm standing right here," Onyx said softer than she anticipated. This kind of thing she hated, she was beginning to feel like a thing again. She must have missed something because Cedric began leading her away from his cousins, his arm around her waist.

"Okay, time to leave," he said, hustling her across the room. "I told you they were bad."

She couldn't really blame him for wanting to get out of their company, but really the worst they had done was make her uncomfortable with the flattery. "Where to next?" she asked.

Cedric looked around above the crowd, because he was taller than most of them. "I see my mother," he began. He felt her arms tense around him. "Or not." He looked around some more. "Er, Onyx, I'll be back."

She looked at him as he let go of her and hurried off. "Okay…" she frowned after him. That was weird. Who had he seen and why couldn't she go with him? She couldn't wonder for long however, because that is when Malfoy found her.

"Onyx," he purred, sneaking up from behind her. "I see you decided to wear a sexy little black dress for me after all."

Onyx instantly regretted wearing the dress. She wondered just how quickly she could run upstairs and change into the ugly green dress that Mrs. Diggory had chosen for her. "Hi, Malfoy," she said, figuring she might as well greet him and get it over with.

"Where's your pretty boy?" he wanted to know.

She glared at him. "Don't call him that."

"Why not, everyone else does."

"Well that doesn't make it right," she huffed, now looking around the room for her missing boyfriend so that he could come save her. It was difficult seeing as how she was shorter than most other people and only saw their heads.

"But it makes it fun," he pointed out, coming closer to her.

"Stay away, Malfoy," she warned. "Don't make me hurt you."

He grinned. "You couldn't hurt me."

"If I had to, I would," she snapped. "Now go bother somebody else, will you?"

"But I really don't want to. It's not as fun with anybody else."

"Not as fun," she scoffed. "Would you leave before Cedric sees you?"

Malfoy looked around the room, stopped, and then grinned again. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he said, sounding very pleased.

Onyx knew that anything that please Malfoy was sure to be very un-pleasing to her. "Why not," she asked slowly, not sure if she really wanted to know or not.

"He's too busy catching up with Cho," Malfoy told her.

"He's what?!" Onyx forgot all about Malfoy for a second in her haste to stand up on her tippy toes and scan the entire party for her now in trouble boyfriend. Finally, she found him in a corner, his arm resting on the wall and above a small someone in a scandalous red dress. Oh wait. That was just Cho. Onyx's chest hurt at the sight of them. Beside her, Malfoy was beside himself with glee.

"I would have told you sooner but I thought you knew," he began. "Just throwing this out there but, I would never do that to you."

"He's not doing anything," Onyx announced, more for her own sake than for Malfoy's. "They're just talking. I mean, that's allowed. I might not like it, but it's not against the rules."

"Actually," Malfoy pointed out. "It kind of is. You don't usually go off to talk with an ex. Or if you do, it's just to make light small talk. That," he gestured to Cedric and Cho, "is more than light small talk."

"Would you shut up?" she asked him, not wanting to believe him. "You're really not helping right now."

"Sorry, love." He truly looked it. How out of character.

Onyx shook her head and forced herself to look away. She knew they were close but still. This was not nice of them. Wasn't she the one who broke up with him anyway? Did it even matter? They were done, that's all that mattered. To Onyx at least. Apparently they had other ideas. What could they possibly be talking about, anyway? It looked like they were having an in depth conversation that elicited far too much laughter. They were exes, they should _not_ be laughing with each other. At each other, yes. With each other, no.

"I just called you 'love'," Malfoy said, peering into her face and looking a little worried. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Huh?" Onyx wasn't even paying attention to Malfoy anymore.

He looked at her again. "You look a little pale," he told her. "I'll go get you some eggnog."

She didn't even nod her consent, so out of it was she. Cedric was cheating on her. That had to be it. That's why they didn't spend a lot of time together at school. He was probably sneaking around with Cho. That time with the closet? He had probably told her to do that. Onyx was so unbelievably pissed that she didn't even notice when Max came over and had to poke her to get her attention.

"Onyx, are you okay?" he asked.

She blinked at being touched. "Oh, sorry," she said. "Hi."

"Hi." He smiled a little. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, don't worry, you didn't." She glanced over at where Cedric and Cho were _still_ talking. "I'm just a little distracted."

"Ah." Max looked around. "So where is my cousin?" he asked conversationally.

Onyx felt her face cloud over. "Over there," she said sullenly. "Mingling."

"Er, is he not allowed to mingle?" Max asked her, misinterpreting her mood.

"Not with certain people," she grumbled.

Still confused, Max looked around until he saw the only thing that could possibly be making Onyx upset. "Oh, Velcro Girl is here," he said brightly. He glanced at Onyx. "Oh."

"Oh is right," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "He just up and left and ran over to her side."

"Git," Max said to appease Onyx. "I always questioned his taste in girls."

Onyx cocked her eyebrows.

"Until I heard he was going out with you, that is," he hastily added.

"Sure sure," she brushed it off. "I just can't believe… I mean I'm right here! What is he thinking? And how dare she! They've been done for like, a year!"

"Er, well if it helps, I think he's being a git," Max said hopefully. His comment was lost as Malfoy came back, cup in hand.

"Here you go, love," he said, eyeing Max with distaste.

Onyx took it without thanks, because it was Malfoy after all. She ignored the sudden hostility that exuded from both of the boys because she was already in too foul a mood to deal with it. She wished they would just leave her alone. Cedric wouldn't like finding her surrounded by a bunch of boys—

She smiled suddenly. That was brilliant.

Malfoy and Max looked at her strangely, wondering why she was now smiling.

"Onyx?" Max asked her. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him, still smiling. What better way to exact revenge then to spend time with the two people Cedric really didn't care for? "Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you for the drink, Malfoy."

Malfoy eyed her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Why?"

"You're being nice to me." He looked confused. "You're never nice to me."

"I know, I'm sorry Malfoy," she apologized. "You just get so annoying sometimes."

Max tried to hide his smile. "So since your boyfriend is a little preoccupied, what do you want to do?" he asked her.

"Spend time with me, obviously," Malfoy told him.

"No, she finds you annoying," Max pointed out.

"She was just flirting with me, you dunce."

"I'm not flirting with anybody," Onyx sighed. "I do have a boyfriend, you know."

Malfoy scoffed. "Yes, a boyfriend who is currently snogging his former girlfriend."

"He's snogging her?!" Onyx quickly turned around and scanned the crowd for the corner Cedric and Cho had previously occupied. There they were, but they weren't snogging. They were still laughing. "Malfoy, don't do that!" she hissed, rounding on him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"But it was so fun," he teased her.

"That was pretty low," Max agreed with Onyx. "Even I didn't go that far."

"Thank you, Max," Onyx said appreciatively. Malfoy looked upset that Max was getting the preference. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "Is it this boring every year?"

Max grinned. "Just about. This year isn't so bad though," he added with a glance in her direction.

"Are you kidding?" Malfoy asked. "Nothing is boring with Onyx around."

"I can imagine," Max smiled. It was starting to annoy Onyx again, all of the attention. There was only one boy's attention whom she craved and she wasn't getting it right now. She suddenly wished again that Harper was here. Or the twins. Or both. She wondered what they were doing and how her best friend was surviving. She was getting lost in her own thoughts while the two boys near her began to argue over something that was undoubtedly silly. She didn't even want to pay attention to them right now. All she wanted to do was go upstairs and collapse on her bed. And have Cedric come find her there. Briefly, she wondered if he even would or if he would leave with Cho. She was trying to shake these thoughts out of her head when she heard Mrs. Diggory's voice carry over the crowd.

"She's a Quidditch player!" she was exclaiming. "It is so unforgiveably unladylike. I really do not see what he sees in her."

Onyx froze. "Did she really say that?" she whispered.

Malfoy nodded. "Nice family to marry into," he said sarcastically.

"I'm not going to marry him!" she said, momentarily distracted by the thought.

Max sounded relieved. "Well that's good."

She didn't even want to know what he meant by that. She was back to being upset by what Mrs. Diggory had just said. And still, Cedric was no where around. You'd think that after your mother just bashed your girlfriend, you would go and try to comfort her. Or at least defend her. Which Cedric wasn't doing. Onyx was beyond upset by now.

"Onyx, you haven't had any of your drink," Malfoy noted.

She looked down at the drink in her hand and realized he was right. With one swift movement, she downed the thing in one swallow. "Ugh," she said as soon as it was down. "What is this?"

"Um, eggnog," Malfoy said.

"What's in it?"

"Whatever is usually in eggnog."

She made a face. "It tastes like alcohol."

Max laughed. "It _is_ alcohol. That's what real eggnog is."

Onyx looked at the empty glass. "Alcohol?"

Malfoy nodded.

"Can I have some more?" she asked, holding the glass out to him.

He took it with a grin and hurried away.

"Wanting to get drunk?" Max asked, looking impressed.

"No. I just want to forget tonight," she answered.

"So you want to get wasted." This prospect made him much happier.

"No," she corrected. "I just want a libation."

"Or six."

"Just two," she corrected again. She risked a glance over to where Cedric and Cho still were. Ugh. Still laughing. This was so unfair.

"Think of it this way," Max said. "The party's almost over."

"It is? Didn't it just begin?" she sounded surprised.

Max gave a shrug. "You've been here longer than you think. It's nearly midnight."

"Oh." Nearly midnight? It certainly didn't feel that long to Onyx but the sooner this thing was over, the better. She just wanted to go to bed and to go home to the Burrow. Malfoy came back, this time with two drinks in his hands. He handed one to her and then downed the other, not even giving Max a look of apology. Onyx followed suit. The alcohol burned her throat but she really didn't care. She already was feeling a little bit better. "Thank you, Malfoy."

"No problem, love."

Max looked miffed. Nevertheless, Onyx spent the remainder of the party with them. Malfoy was surprisingly funny now that she was actually listening to him. Cedric never came back for her and she had all but given up on him. She had already decided that she was going to ask him to take her home first thing the next morning. But until then, she talked with Max and Malfoy. Max really wasn't as bad as Cedric had made him out to be. He was smarter than Malfoy so therefore a little more intelligent to talk with. Then she realized that the room had thinned out and next thing she knew, Lucious Malfoy was approaching them, looking mildly interested to see his son with her.

"Draco," he commanded. "It's time to leave. Say good bye to your…" he sneered a little. "Friends."

Onyx rolled her eyes, said good bye to Malfoy before he could say anything cheesy, and started to walk away. She had forgotten about Max, who followed her to the stairway.

"You leaving?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"Oh, right," she said. "Well, yeah. It was nice talking to you, Max," she said, forcing a smile.

"Will I see you again?" he asked.

"Er." That was cliché. "I don't really know," she admitted.

"Well try to, okay?" he said, looking meaningful.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," she said absently. "Night!" She turned and started running up the stairs before he could say anything else. She got to her room and threw open the door. Slamming it shut, and walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it. She wanted to cry but the tears weren't cooperating for some reason. Odd. She had wanted to do nothing but sob all throughout the evening. She didn't quite know how long she laid there but it felt to her like hours before there was a slight knock on the door, which then preceded to open even though she didn't give it permission.

"Onyx?" Cedric's head peeked out from behind the door. "Are you in here?"

She debated not answering him but it was too late because he had already seen her.

"Hey," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to sleep," she grumbled.

"Oh." He was silent for a moment. "So did you have a good time?"

"No but I saw that _you_ did," she said, trying not to sound too mean. "How's Cho doing these days?"

She felt him stiffen at that and smiled to herself. She had hit a nerve.

"You saw that?" he asked quietly.

"You were trying to hide it?" she retorted.

More silence. "There wasn't anything to hide," he said finally.

She snorted. "Cedric, you spent the whole entire party talking to her. I was stuck with Malfoy and Max the whole time."

Still more silence. "I didn't realize it would annoy you so much."

"What, annoy me that you spent more time with your ex girlfriend than your current one?" She sat up to look at him. "That wasn't very perceptive of you."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" he asked; a cheap attempt to appease her.

"Right now, I really want you to leave so I can sleep. Plus, since you like Cho so much and seemed to have such a great time with her tonight, you should just go back to her. She probably is missing you," Onyx told him sternly, putting her head on the pillow. "Just leave."

Realizing his defeat, he got up and left. She thought that maybe the tears would come but much to her surprise, they didn't. Also to her surprise, the door opened not a minute later and in came Cedric once more.

"No, you know what," he said, walking in and sitting on her bed. "Yes I might like Cho, but I love you."

"Eh?" she asked, sure she had heard him wrong. "You like Cho?"

He smiled a little, because she hadn't reacted to what a normal girl would have reacted to. "Only a little. I always will."

"But," she prompted.

He moved over so that he had her in his arms, his chin resting on top of her head. "But I love you."

"Say what?" she asked, sitting up and staring at him. This was not what she had been expecting at all.

"I love you," he said again, this time with more emphasis.

"Are you serious?" she asked him. "Cedric, you can't just throw that word around. It means too much, it… it…" she trailed off.

"It what?" he asked. "It's a lie? Do you really think that?"

"Um, well no but even so, it's weird to hear. And you were just with Cho all night and, and…"

"You silly, delusional girl," he said affectionately. He took her hand into his and she felt something cold being slipped onto her finger. "I really mean it."

She held up her hand. Even in the dim light she could see a glint of silver on her finger. "Ced," she began. "Ced, what is this? Is it what I think it is?"

"If you think it's a promise ring, then yes," he chuckled.

"A promise ring?" she said shrilly.

"Yes. A promise ring. To show that I love you and you alone."

Onyx stared. A promise ring. He had given her a promise ring. What on earth had possessed him to do that? What would Harper, Fred and George say?

"Onyx?" He peered into her face. "Onyx, say something. Do you not like it?"

"No, I do. It's very pretty," she assured him. "And very sudden."

"Is it really?" he asked. "We've been together how long now? Isn't that long enough to know that I want to be with you forever?

"Forever?" she squeaked.

"Is that a problem?"

"It's just a really long time!" she said, not really grasping what was happening. She began to feel guilty. "Cedric, I don't know what to say…"

"Say you'll wear it," he asked her. "Please?"

"Ced, I don't know, people will think it's an engagement ring!"

"What's wrong with that?" he questioned honestly not comprehending.

"Aren't we a little young to be engaged?" she pointed out. Onyx couldn't believe Cedric actually wanted to be engaged at their age. What on earth was going on?

"Maybe, but that's not what this is. This shows that I want to marry you someday," he clarified.

It took all of Onyx's will power not to gag. The idea for some reason repulsed her. Marry Cedric? Marry into his family? Have a mother-in-law that hates her? Be stuck with him forever? She shuddered and Cedric couldn't help but notice.

"Are you cold or do you just not like the idea?" he asked evenly.

"Cold," she answered too quickly. She knew he didn't believe her.

"Well we have quite some time to figure it out," he said, rolling over onto his back. "I figured we'd wait until after you graduate anyways. Who wants to be married while still in school?"

"Who indeed," she said, still reeling at the idea. Married. To Cedric. Forever. Would she be allowed to see the Weasley's anymore?

Hmm that was a weird thought. Why was that her primary worry? It's not like she liked Fred or anything…

Cedric took her hand, breaking into her thoughts. "What has you worried, love?"

"Please don't call me that, Ced," she asked. "Malfoy still insists on using it." _That and, I'm not your love,_ she thought to herself before she could help it.

That was a new revelation. Where was all of this coming from? But once again, Cedric interrupted her thoughts ever so rudely.

"Oh well in that case, you will never hear the word uttered from my lips again," he uttered, pressing his lips to the palm of her hand.

"Is that a promise?" she half joked.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you want it to be?"

"A little."

"You are a very confusing woman, did you know that?" he asked, sounding a tad annoyed.

She gave a weak laugh. "Tell me something I don't know."

He looked at her. "Fred Weasley loves you."

Startled, she gave another hesitant laugh. "You already told me that."

"No," he corrected. "I told you he liked you. But now I'm convinced he loves you."

"Convinced how, have you been talking to him about it?"

"No," he said again. "It's just fairly obvious."

"If it's so obvious how come I've never noticed?" she challenged.

He shrugged. "You aren't perceptive when it comes to you."

She didn't quite know what to make of that. "Hey Ced?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Could I quite possibly go back to the Burrow tomorrow?" she asked in a rush.

He blinked. "Back to the Burrow?"

"Yes. I feel like I ought to go save Harper," she explained.

"Is her life in danger?" he asked coolly.

"Knowing the twins, quite possibly." She smiled at the thought. She suddenly wished for nothing more than to get to the Burrow and spend time with the boys and Harper.

Cedric appraised her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, quite sure," she assured him.

"Well if you insist," he sighed.

"Which I do."

"First thing in the morning, then." He didn't sound too pleased about the idea but he closed his eyes as though he were about to fall asleep.

"Um, Cedric?" she asked as his breathing deepened.

"Yes?" he asked, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Are you planning on staying in here?" she teased.

"Yes."

She blinked. "Oh." That she had not been expecting. She couldn't bring herself to kick him out, however, because that seemed like a cold-hearted move on her part. Admitting defeat, she lay down, scooching over so that she wasn't anywhere near him. He didn't even seem to notice.

It took her a few hours to fall asleep and when it did finally come, her dreams were filled with white dresses and veils and evil mothers-in-law who cast evil spells. Cedric startled her awake by kissing her.

"Good morning, my sweet," he greeted her.

Onyx jumped and fell off the bed with a shriek. "Ced, don't _do_ that!" she told him. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," he said, hardly looking apologetic. "Ready to go?"

"Go where?" she asked, getting up and smoothing out the dress she realized she was still wearing from last night. It felt like so long ago already.

"Well if you don't remember I hardly feel like reminding you," he said with a smirk.

"Reminding me what?" she asked. "That I asked you to take me back to the Burrow? No, I didn't forget. I just didn't know that was what you were referring to." She went over to her bag and pulled out the first thing she could. Another dress. Lovely. She rushed to the bathroom so that she could change and brush her teeth. Cedric was still on the bed when she came back.

"Are you sure you want to go back?" he asked her. "You don't want to stay one more day?"

"I don't think Harper could last one more day," she said truthfully.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Note: **IKhandoZatman, yeah... Cedric is a jerkwad.__ Carry on._

She was partially right. Harper had been having a hard time stuck with the twins, but at the same time, they were some of the best few days she had spent in a long time. Fred was a sweetheart when he wasn't being a beast, who always intervened when George wouldn't suppress his beastly ways. George was another thing entirely. Harper didn't know what to make of him anymore. It was nigh impossible to even pretend to hate him because he changed face ever so often. And then Fred would toss him this knowing smile every so often that was infuriating to Harper because then she knew that she was missing something and she hated being out of the loop. Nevertheless, having quality time with them wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. She was still alive, at least. And now she was absolutely positive of Fred's feelings for Onyx. The fact that she had nearly forced it out of him one night after they had chased George away had nothing to do with it, either. And the more she thought about it, the more she approved of it. Fred was a sweetheart and pretty much exactly what Onyx needed. They were like polar opposites in some ways, and yet not.

George just had fun teasing his twin about it which led Fred to point out that he and Harper were polar opposites just like Fred and Onyx were. This made Harper laugh and this was exactly what they were discussing when the front door suddenly flew open and there stood Onyx herself.

Harper blinked. "Onyx?" she asked, not sure if this was a prank or not.

"Hi." Onyx then turned around. "Okay, thanks Ced. Tell your father I say hi! Happy Christmas! See you later!"

"Okay, I lo-"

Onyx cut him off. "Okay bye!" she said, quickly shutting the door before he could say anything. She then locked it for extra measure. "Phew," she muttered to herself before turning back to Harper. "So. How goes things?"

"What are you doing back so soon?" Harper asked, jumping up and running at her.

"You don't want to know," Onyx said darkly, hugging Harper back. "Where are the twins?"

Just then, Fred popped up right in front of them. "About bloody time. What took you so long to come back to us? And what," he said, staring at her hand. "Is that?"

Onyx quickly hid her left hand behind her back. She had forgotten about the ring. "Oh, its nothing," she said, reaching out to hug him but he grabbed her hand.

"What is wrong with your hand?" he demanded.

She made a fist and covered her left finger with her thumb and then showed him. "What? There's nothing wrong with my hand. See? Totally normal."

"She's engaged!" George cried, popping up just like Fred had.

"What?" Harper stared.

"No, I'm not engaged!" Onyx said quickly, horrified that they had reached the conclusion so rapidly. "It's a promise ring!"

"That's just as bad!" Fred accused. "It means the same exact thing!"

"Oh, it does not," George said. "It just means he's planning on marrying her is all."

Fred scowled at his twin.

"Not helping, George," Harper said, giving him a poke.

He shoved her back. "You're just jealous that she's engaged and you aren't."

"I'm not engaged!" Onyx shrieked. "Stop saying that! It's freaking me out."

"What, you didn't have a good time with Pretty Boy?" Fred sneered, looking uncharacteristically put out.

Much to their surprise, Onyx suddenly slumped. "Actually, no," she admitted. "Those were the worst three days of my life."

"Excellent," Fred and George said together. Harper hit both of them.

"What happened exactly," Harper wanted to know.

Onyx walked over to the couches and flopped down. "Do you want every detail or just the worst parts?"

"Details," Fred said simply.

And so Onyx began her tale. They were a good audience, gasping and laughing and looking horrified in all the right places. Fred and George took great pleasure in giving each other high fives whenever something exceptionally terrible had happened, much to Onyx's chagrin.

"Well I'm glad you guys are taking pleasure in my torment," she said glumly.

"I can't believe you actually have a ring," Harper muttered to herself. "I was so hoping that I was wrong…"

"Wrong about what?" George wanted to know.

She glanced at them. "I had a dream."

"Oh well that clears everything up," Fred said sarcastically.

Onyx shoved him. "Be nice."

"Anyway," continued Harper. "I had a dream last night that Onyx got a ring." She pointed at Onyx's hand. "Just like that one."

"Just like this one?" Onyx sounded skeptical.

Harper nodded. Divination was her strong suit. All throughout her childhood she would have dreams that ended up coming true within the next few days. At first she thought it was mere coincidence but as it kept happening and with bigger events, she realized she had a power. It was that same year she got her letter from Hogwarts.

"You're a freak of nature," George informed her.

"You're just jealous that your dreams don't come true," she shot back, completely unphased.

He sputtered at this but she was already ignoring him.

"So what did you say?" Fred asked Onyx, trying to act as though he really wanted to know.

"Well I fought it at first," she began. Fred looked slightly happier. "But then he told me he loved me and that was that."

The other three gaped. "He told you he loved you?" Harper shrieked. "What did you say back?"

"Um, well, I didn't exactly return his sentiments…" Onyx admitted with a sheepish look. Much to her surprise, the others looked relieved.

"I knew you didn't love Pretty Boy," George said, laying down on his back, now completely at ease. "It was just a matter of time before you realized it yourself."

"You don't have the connection," Harper nodded.

"Oh please, not that again," Fred moaned. "You're starting to sound like our mother."

"I just feel bad," Onyx confided. "I mean, I like him a lot but just not that much. It's like being caught in a rock and a hard place." She sat back, looking torn.

"Aw Nyx, don't feel bad," Fred tried to comfort her. "It's not your fault all the bad boys love you."

She managed a smile. "Thanks for that, Fred."

"Anytime, darlin'."

Harper rolled her eyes. "Moving on," she cut in. "So you had him bring you back this morning because you'd finally had enough?"

Onyx nodded. "It was miserable. His mother was miserable, he was miserable after he said he loved me… his dad is really nice though," she added as an afterthought.

The others all had to nod in agreement.

"Onyx Diggory just doesn't have a nice ring to it," Fred said thoughtfully. Harper grinned at him.

"Not that you've thought about it at all," she said slyly.

He reddened slightly. "I'm just saying," he said lamely.

"I agree," George said, coming to his twin's rescue. "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"So don't say it," reasoned Harper.

"Stop being so logical," he responded.

So she shoved him. And then he shoved her back so hard she almost fell over.

"George!" she cried. "I almost fell on top of Onyx," she said, hitting him again.

"Would you two stop being so violent?" Fred asked in exasperation. He turned to Onyx. "They've been doing a lot of this while you were gone."

"Oh?" Onyx smirked. "What else have I missed?"

"Ice skating. You missed ice skating, otherwise known as the Harper and George show," Fred began.

"Harper and George show?" George repeated in mid-shove. "Why is her name first?"

"It just sounds better," shrugged Fred.

"Does not!" George argued. "The guy's name always goes first."

"But she wears the pants," Fred pointed out. He laughed as George glared at him. "Well it's true!" he defended himself. "Onyx?"

"Oh, you are not bringing me into this!" Onyx said, holding up her hands in front of her to guard herself. "You are on your own, buddy."

"Harper doesn't wear the pants," George said, poking his twin in the ribs which Harper got in one last shove. "Stop beating up on me!"

"Yes, she does," Fred sang, enjoying the torture he was putting George through.

"No she does not," George sang back, getting up and tackling Fred.

"Hey guys, stop it!" Onyx cried as they both fell to the ground as one entity. "You're going to get hurt."

"Are not," Fred huffed, now attempting to tickle George. It was working perfectly, because George spasmed in laughter, practically paralyzed.

"He's ticklish?" Harper asked in wonder.

"No!" George yelled out as best he could. "I'm not. I'm not ticklish. Don't you dare!"

She gave a shrug but opted to sit on the couch with Onyx instead. "Maybe next time."

"No!" Horrified that Harper now had a new weapon, George decided to take it out on his brother and then a full-out tussle began.

"Oh great," Onyx muttered. "And to think I missed this."

"Come on," Harper nudged her. "You know you love them."

"You're one to talk," teased Onyx. "What have you two been up to while I was gone?"

Harper tried to hide her smile. "It was all him, I swear. The ice skating, and shoving and everything else. All him. I did nothing."

"Sure you didn't," Onyx said, watching as the twins started rolling across the floor, trying to tickle each other.

"No, really," Harper said earnestly. "I was all set to spend time with Fred because Fred's the sweet one, you know? But George kept butting in like the annoying git he is." She looked at Onyx. "Why are you grinning?"

"I told you he liked you," Onyx said triumphantly.

She said the magic words. The twins stopped fighting and stared at her while Harper's jaw dropped.

"Does not!" both she and George insisted in unison.

Onyx merely grinned. "Denial," she sang.

"Denial," Fred agreed. He quickly moved his head before George could punch him. "I'm only saying!" he said defensively.

"Well stop saying," George threatened.

"Saying what?" Fred asked, trying to slither away . "That you like her?"

He had to jump to his feet and leap behind the girls to escape. George almost followed but he would have landed on top of all of them and it probably would have hurt.

"I hate all of you," he said darkly, turning away. And then suddenly he whirled around and with a yell, leapt over to them. The other three gave corresponding screams of terror as he landed on them.

"What is this ruckus?" they heard Mrs. Weasley shout from the stairwell. They all turned to look at her in embarrassment as she appeared in the doorway and stopped to stare at them. "What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Mum, Onyx's back!" Fred told her excitedly to distract her.

It worked. "Onyx's back?" Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened with excitement. "Where is she?"

"Right here," Onyx called from around George's torso. She tried to wave her hand but it was trapped where ever it was.

Mrs. Weasley squinted at her. "What are you doing?" she asked. "And when did you get back? And why didn't anybody tell me?"

"She just got back, Mum," Fred explained. "Then she told us how horrible her weekend was and then George and I got into a fight which is why we're like this."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head in disbelief and then continued on into the kitchen. "So Onyx," she called. "Tell me all about your weekend."

Onyx was glad for the excuse to get off the couch, which had gotten incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. Shoving George off, she got up and walked over to Mrs. Weasley, taking a seat at the large table. Harper quickly followed suit, leaving the twins on the couch and lonely.

"Well his mother hates me," Onyx began in a sullen voice.

Mrs. Weasley whirled around. "No!" she said. "That's impossible."

"Apparently not," Onyx said, but she was pleased that Mrs. Weasley thought so much of her. "She wanted me to wear the ugliest dress to their big fancy party. It was terrible."

Mrs. Weasley clucked her tongue sympathetically. "Silly woman. What else did she do?" She sat down next to Onyx and looked at her eagerly, expecting more gossip. And so for the next few minutes, Onyx relayed all that had happened at the Diggory's. Mrs. Weasley was a slightly better audience than the other three had been, but mostly because she had a slight flair for the dramatic.

She made the others all jump when she screamed all of a sudden. As it turns out, Onyx has just shown her the ring.

"He's not supposed to do that!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Well apparently he loves me so…" Onyx trailed off, staring unhappily at the ring. She felt bad, because looking at the ring shouldn't make her feel upset and yet that's all it did.

"Loves you?" Mrs. Diggory repeated blankly. "Did he say that?"

Onyx nodded.

"Did you say it back?" she then asked sternly.

Onyx shook her head. "I couldn't lie to him."

"That's my girl," Mrs. Weasley smiled her praise.

"I'm getting tired of hearing about this ring," Fred grumbled from the living room. He and George had ceased fighting and were now working on a house of cards. Harper was, of course, knitting alone on the couch.

"Me too," she agreed with him. "Stupid git. Why'd he have to go do that? Did he honestly think she would want it?" She lowered her voice in case Onyx or Mrs. Weasley heard her. "I mean, it's obvious she doesn't love him like that. He's not stupid, he has to see that they don't have the connection."

"Oh, enough with the connections already," Fred rolled his eyes. "They don't work all the time. What if you have a connection with somebody and they don't feel it? It's a stupid concept and you need to drop it." He placed the last card on top of the house, holding his breath.

"Be careful!" George suddenly hissed, making Fred almost slip.

"Don't do that! I almost dropped the card and ruined the whole thing."

"And then I would have cursed you. It's a win-win situation," George responded.

Harper chuckled into her knitting. "Don't hurt him anymore, George," she warned.

"Why not? He's my brother. By law, I am allowed to hurt him as much as necessary."

"And I, you," Fred nodded.

"See?" George said to Harper. "So stop worrying that pretty little head of yours."

"I always worry," she said. "It's my job."

"Well you're fired," Fred said simply.

"So what do you want me to be instead?" she asked absently.

"Be a stripper," the twins said in unison.

She put down her knitting to give them an exasperated look. "Nice try," she told them. "But not gonna happen."

"I heard it pays well," Fred said conversationally.

"Do you even have strippers in the wizarding world?" Harper asked curiously. She had never heard of that kind of thing ever talked about before, she realized.

George shrugged. "Like we'd know."

Fred smirked.

"You two are impossible," Harper sighed, turning back to her knitting.

"No, we're outpossible," George corrected her. He sat back on his feet, looking at the house of cards. "I'm bored now."

"Me too. What do you want to do? I vote we go maul Ronniekin's room," Fred suggested excitedly.

George's eyes lit up. "I like the way you think, brother."

"I do what I can." And with that they up and disappeared up the stairs.

"That was incredibly easy," Onyx mused aloud.

"Well I'm glad they're gone. Some peace and quiet would be really nice after the weekend I had." Harper rolled her eyes. "Speaking of which, I had an interesting dream the night you left," she told Onyx.

"Right. You mentioned that earlier."

"Yes." Harper tried to hide her smile. "I dreamt that Cedric was going to give you a ring. Of course, I thought it meant he was going to propose, and thank God he didn't but even so he did give you a ring. So I was right." She looked rather smug. Her perception for this kind of thing had grown stronger since she started going to Hogwarts. She would have dreams that would end up coming true in three or so days. And sometimes she would see something just by touching a person. It was a little cool to have an actual power.

Onyx stared. "Are you serious? You had a dream about this? Why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes were wide.

"Um because I couldn't get a hold of you?" Harper suggested. "I don't have an owl, remember?"

"Right." Onyx sat back. "I wish you could have warned me. Then I would have been better prepared."

Harper looked at her sympathetically. "Onyx, I don't like him," she said suddenly.

Onyx looked up, not hearing her. "Hmm?"

"Cedric," Harper clarified. "I don't really like him anymore."

"What do you mean?" Onyx asked slowly. "You liked him?" she asked in horror.

"No no, not like that," Harper hastened to explain. "I mean for you. I don't like him for you. He's been rubbing against me lately. I don't know what it is, but… ugh its really hard to explain. You just have to trust me on this."

Onyx stared at her. "You don't like Cedric?"

Harper's face fell. "Look, I know how this sounds and I'm really sorry about this. I just feel that all things considering, I need to tell you. Before things get worse. Er," she corrected herself. "I mean, further. Before things go further."

"No you meant worse." Onyx let out a long sigh. Harper began really feeling bad about the whole thing. She shouldn't have said anything and she didn't know what possessed her to say it in the first place…

"You're right."

Harper looked up. "I what?"

"You're right. About Cedric," Onyx admitted. "I didn't realize you were picking up on it too. That makes it all that much worse."

"Oh come on," Harper said brightly, trying to make up for bringing it up. "It can't be all that bad. I mean, at least he likes you. Like, really truly likes you. He gave you a ring for crying out loud!"

"Yes, a ring I don't even want," Onyx said disgustedly. "Harper, what am I going to do?" she wailed, covering her face with her hands.

"Er." Harper bit her lip. This was not going as planned. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to…" Onyx hesitated. "Well I don't want to be his girlfriend anymore." She looked up. "Wow I have no clue where that came from."

"Your heart," Harper said, trying to crack a joke. "It probably knows what you want more than you do."

Onyx considered this. "I don't want Cedric."

Harper gave a slight nod of agreement. "Well then, problem solved."

"No, problem _not_ solved," Onyx groaned. "This just makes a whole new problem. What do I do now?"

Harper made a face of sympathy. "Break up with him."

Onyx gulped. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She shook her head. "I don't want to do this."

Harper wrapped her arm around her friend. "Maybe Fred and George can do it for you. I'm sure they'd make it quick and painless."

Onyx took a sharp intake of breath at the mention of the twins, which Harper was quick to notice.

"You know, he's been talking about you a lot," Harper said slowly. "In case you were wondering. When George wasn't bothering me, I talked to Fred a lot."

"So?" Onyx asked.

"You came up mostly." Harper tossed her a sly smile.

"So?" Onyx asked again.

"So, I think that might mean something. But that's just me." Harper looked away, trying again not to smile. It was proving difficult.

"Harper, what are you saying?" Onyx wanted to know.

"Oh nothing, forget it. Actually, forget the whole thing." Harper let go of Onyx and sat back down on the couch. "Go be happy with Cedric. I mean, you two look good together. You just don't have the connection, but that's really not all that important."

"Connection?" Onyx asked skeptically.

Harper shook her head. "Don't get me started. Point is, just forget it. Forget about Fred, forget I don't like Cedric, just go be happy."

"But Harps, I'm not happy!" Onyx pointed out.

"So break up with him," Harper said simply. "Not that hard."

"How do you know?"

Harper sighed. "Okay, so I don't know from personal experience. But people do it all the time so it can't be too deadly."

Onyx let out a humorless laugh. "Ok well I'm going to stop thinking about this and focus on something else."

"Good plan. Let's go see what the twins have done to Ronniekin's room," Harper teased.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Author's Note: **__IKhandoZatman, you are the review master! Thank you so much for the constant comments; we love them! Molly is actually one of our favorite characters to write for. Who couldn't love Momma Weasley? Carry on._

Christmas came that morning. The girls' day started off very interesting.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" George hollered jumping onto of Harper's slumbering form.

"George! It's so early!" she groaned, pulling the covers up over her head.

"Sorry my sweet, but we Weasley's start our Christmas morning very early," he informed her pulling off her blankets and pulling her out of bed.

"Okay okay! I'm coming, at least let me grab my robe!" Harper strained, grabbing her robe off her trunk.

Fred laughed at his brother and Harper's antics. He looked over to Onyx, who was still asleep; he was amazed that she hadn't woken up during Harper's bombardment.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said, gently rubbing her shoulder.

"Hmmmm?" she asked opening her eyes and sitting up.

Fred stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"You've got a little bit of hair sticking up," he told her pointing to her very prominent bed-head.

"Oh geeez," she hissed sheepishly, attempting to get her hair to lay down.

Fred smiled, "if it's any consolation, you have the best bed-head I've ever seen."

"Thanks," she thanked him pulling her hair into a ponytail and slipping on her hoodie.

"Let's go," Fred chirped ushering her down the steps.

"Happy Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley jubilantly greeted them throwing her arms around Onyx and then her son. "Come on 'en, sit down sit down!"

Onyx sat down next to Harper. She looked over at Harper and laughed.

"Hey at least you had a nice wake up call," Harper snipped.

"That's because Fred is a softy," George quipped.

Fred stuck out his tongue at George as he sat down on Onyx's other side.

"Quiet down now everyone!" Mrs. Weasley hushed them. "Here you go Fred, Onyx, Harper, George," she said handing them each a gift.

"You didn't have to get us anything," Harper admitted.

"Yes, letting us stay is plenty gift enough," Onyx agreed.

"Oh nonsense! You girls are part of the family, now open them up!" Mrs. Weasley was practically giddy.

"Mum takes her knitting very seriously," Fred whispered to Onyx.

Onyx smiled.

"Oh my gosh!" Harper gasped. "Hat!" she shouted immediately pulling the sage green slouch cap on. "I LOVE it!"

Onyx laughed at Harper's outburst. "You would. Oh my gosh! Mrs. Weasley I love it! How did you know my favorite color was turquoise?" Onyx gasped in the same manner Harper had.

"Oh a little bird informed me," she said winking at her boys.

"Thank you!" Harper and Onyx thanked at the same time.

Much like the girls were, everyone was please and surprised at Harper and Onyx's gifts. The girls had gotten Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a gift certificate and some muggle money for dinner at muggle restaurant. They got the boys certificates to be their slaves for the day.

"So Harper, does this mean that you have to do everything that I tell you to do?" George asked upon opening the said gift.

"Yes, I mean no!" Harper shouted.

Onyx laughed. "Within reason, George," she clarified.

Fred and George exchanged looks, "yes!" they crooned in unison.

Then the boys gave the girls their gifts. Both Fred and George set a gift in each of the girls' laps.

Harper tore open the wrapping and was rendered speechless. "George, these are awesome!" she shrieked and pulled the bright orange ice skates out of the box.

George looked pretty proud of himself. "I knew you would like them. Just so you know, the blades well never dull. They are enchanted ice skates."

"I don't know what to say! Thanks George, I love them," Harper thanked him.

"Wrong pronoun," George muttered.

Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Uh-uh-uh I mean, yeah you're welcome," he sputtered turning eight shades of red.

Fred started chuckling.

"Shut it, you git," George said tossing wrapping paper at him.

Fred playfully swatted it away, still laughing. "Onyx, open yours," he asked her.

Onyx opened her gift from Fred. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "What is this?" she asked Fred.

"Open it up," he instructed.

Onyx lifted the front cover and read what Fred had messily penned. It read:

_Rose are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_You're a crazy muggleborn,_

_Happy Christmas to you._

_Love always [but not really],_

_Fred_

Onyx looked close to tears. This was a much more heartfelt gift than just some hunk of metal. "Fred, this is so sweet. Thanks you!"

"Just promise me you'll use it," he told her.

"Of course! My other notebook is full, this is perfect," she gushed, kissing him on the cheek.

Fred instantly smiled while Harper grinned.

"Well that was sweet," Mrs. Weasley said. "I see a few connections now."

"Mum, shut up!" George cried, suddenly horrified. "There are no connections. They don't exist."

"Oh yes they do," she told them. "And I can see two very clear ones in this very room. Two very strong ones, mind you."

"Mum," Fred warned. "Really, do you have to start this now?"

"I'm only saying!" she defended herself.

"And I'm only saying that I have just recently learned how to seal a person's mouth shut," Fred smirked. "Would you like me to practice on you?"

"Now now," Mr. Weasley interfered. "No need to threaten your mother."

"Yes, we'd miss her," Harper added. Mrs. Weasley beamed at her.

The rest of the day went by too quickly and then suddenly it was New Year's Eve. It was much easier for Harper to have Onyx around because she was an awesome buffer. Fred seemed a little bit more at ease but there were times when Harper could see the way he looked at Onyx. How Onyx could be so blind, Harper would never know.

Then there was George who really needed to be renamed Harper's Shadow, because he was following her around all over the place. He even resorted to giving her a wake up call each morning like he had on Christmas. This morning's was particularly loud.

"Harper, Harper, get up I have a surprise for you!" he called to her, jumping onto the bed and landing next to her.

"George really, must you jump on me like that?" she mumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Oh yes, it is more than necessary," he assured her. "Now get up. We're going shopping."

She opened her eyes in surprise. "We're what?"

"Shopping?" Onyx sat up in her bed to look at George. "Shopping where?"

"A dress shop."

"A what?" Harper sat up. "Dress shop? What for?"

He looked at her as though she should know this. "Dresses? Come on, Harper, I know you're not as dumb as you look."

She was in too much shock to even be bothered by the comment."But, dresses? What for? And why?"

Fred then appeared in the doorway. "Well if you must know, mum and dad decided to go out to dinner tonight to that muggle place and won't be back until late tomorrow because they are calling it their second honeymoon or something."

"So we are throwing a party, and you two lovely ladies need dresses. So we are cashing in our coupons and as part of your indentured servanthood, you are going to buy dresses today," George finished with flourish.

Harper gaped and turned to look at Onyx, who was actually smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" she accused.

"Because I love dress shopping!" Onyx said, jumping out of bed and leaping to her suitcase. She pulled out some pants and a shirt. "I'll be out in ten minutes," she told the twins as she ran past them to the bathroom.

"But, but." Harper gave up and sat back in bed with a huff. "This isn't fair."

"Why my dear, are you falling back on your promise to be my servant for an entire day?" George asked, rushing to her bed and sitting down.

"Well, no but I mean, dress shopping?" Harper whined. "I just wore a dress!"

"Yes, but that was for a dance," he said slowly, trying to follow her logic. "And that was almost last year."

"Do you have a rule about how many dresses you can wear per year?" Fred teased.

She made a face at him. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do."

"Rules are meant to be broken. Trust me." George stood up. "You have five minutes to get ready," he told her, following his twin out the door and shutting it behind them.

"Five minutes," she mocked them, getting out of bed nonetheless. She was dressed and ready before Onyx was out of the bathroom.

"Why are they making us do this?" Harper asked as they made their way downstairs to the kitchen.

"Because we gave them an awesome gift," Onyx reminded her.

"Oh right right. I forgot." Harper snatched an apple off the kitchen table and took a huge bite out of it. It was too juicy and ended up dribbling on her chin. Onyx took one look at her and started laughing.

"Oh hush," Harper said, rolling her eyes. She took another bite. This time more people started laughing. She turned around to see George looking at her, now trying to smother his laughter. "Grow up," she told him, wiping her chin with her sweater.

"I didn't say anything," he said, holding his hands up in innocence.

"But you were thinking it," she sang, heading for the door. "Now are we going or what?"

Fred looked at his brother. "She's annoying when she's impatient."

"No, she just hates dresses," Harper corrected. "Where are we even going, anyway?"

"Diagon Alley," Fred said simply. "We have some clout down there already."

Onyx looked at him. "What?"

"For future references," he clarified.

"Ah. Well okay how are we getting there?" she wanted to know.

Fred pointed to himself. "Sixteen. We can Apparate. Duh."

"You have to be seventeen for that," Harper said. "Right?"

"Right. So we need a new plan," Onyx told them.

"Floo powder it is!" George announced. He ran over to the fireplace and grabbed the little pot that held the magical powder.

"Make sure we have enough to get back so we don't need Cedric this time," Harper said, following him to the fireplace.

"Last thing I want to do is involve Pretty Boy again," Fred muttered.

Next thing they knew, they were in Diagon Alley and Fred and George were herding the girls to a shop they didn't even know existed.

"They actually have a dress shop here?" Harper sounded disappointed, almost as though she had been hoping they had been wrong about that fact and they would have to give up.

"Of course. They have just about everything here," George told her. "Now in you two go," he said, opening the door for them like a perfect gentleman. Onyx and Harper followed him inside where Onyx rushed right away to the clothing racks and started picking out dresses upon dresses while Harper stood by idly, arms folded across her dress.

"I can't believe we're doing this," she muttered grumpily. "Only they would make us buy dresses, you know? Those gits. Don't they know how much I hate dresses? Do they not realize what hell this is putting me through?"

"Probably," Onyx answered, pulling out a dress and holding it up to herself. "Too short?" she asked.

Harper nodded. "But I mean, what do they get out of it?" she continued.

"We get to see you in dresses, duh," Fred told her with an armful of dresses. "Now, we have a selection of carefully chosen dresses we would like each of you to try on."

"You're kidding." Harper gaped. "What are we, runway models?"

"Right now, yes," Fred grinned. "These are for you, Onyx," he said, handing her the bunch in his arms.

"And these are yours," said George, stuffing an equally as large bundle into Harper's grasp.

Onyx froze. "I see pink."

Harper turned to look at her and sure enough, Onyx was holding a poofy pink dress with a look of utmost disgust on her face.

"Yes, I thought it would bring out your eyes," Fred encouraged her. "Go on, try it on!"

Onyx gave him a blank look. "It's pink."

"Yes," he said slowly, not comprehending the disgust in her voice and demeanor. "What's wrong with it?"

She stared at him. "What's wrong with it?" she spat. "It's pink! I don't wear pink! Pink hates me. I'm not wearing this. My body wouldn't be able to handle the … pinkness!"

Fred and George looked at each other.

"Did you predict this much dissent coming from the servants?" Fred asked his twin.

George let out a loud sigh. "I suppose we'll just have to give up and hold it against them for the rest of their lives."

Harper rolled her eyes. "Oh my gosh, you two are unbelievable." With more inaudible grumbling, she marched into the dressing room past the twins who wore identical self-satisfied smiles. Unceremoniously dumping the dresses on the ground, she surveyed the pile of fabric with disdain. Where Onyx had a collection of puffy dresses that rivaled Cinderella, Harper's more closely resembled Paris Hilton. "Are you serious?" she cried, holding up one particularly scandalous black number. "This looks like a torture device!"

"Hurry up, I want to see it," Fred called to her. He turned to Onyx and gave her a nudge. "You're running a tad behind, love. It won't be so bad, it's not like we're going to take pictures and show them to Draco."

Onyx narrowed her eyes. "The fact that you just said that makes me think that's exactly what you're planning."

"It's not, I solemnly swear," George said from behind her. "Like we'd want to give him that much pleasure."

Onyx would have hit him if her arms weren't full with dresses. Finally beginning to share Harper's feelings about the whole plan, she begrudgingly entered a dressing room and thus began the infamous Hated Dresses Runway Show. Harper put the black ugly number on first but absolutely refused to show the boys until Onyx was ready as well.

"Ready yet?" she called from her room, inspecting herself in the mirror. This dress was utterly horrifying. She could hardly stand looking at herself in it, let alone let the _boys_ see her in it.

"Yes. You?" Onyx called back.

"Unfortunately. On the count of three okay?"

Fred and George grinned at each other. "Three," they counted in unison. "Two, one!"

"I said three, not one!" Harper called out to them while Onyx giggled.

"Oh come out already!" George said. "I've gone grey waiting for you."

"I'll come out just to see that," Harper teased, opening the door against her better judgment. "Okay here it is, can I go change now?"

"Look at mine!" Onyx wailed. "I'm pink and poofy! _Pink and poofy!_"

Harper glanced her friend over. "Ugh, Onyx. Pink is so not your color."

"I know!" Onyx glared at Fred. "There is no way this brings out my eyes," she told Fred. "You are full of it if you think this looks good on me."

But the twins were too busy gawking and then laughing at the girls to pay too much attention to what they were saying.

Onyx and Harper shared a look and simultaneously turned around and went back into their changing rooms to put on more ugly dresses. At the count of three, the both came out just like before and like before, the twins gawked and then burst into laughter.

"I hate poofy dresses," Onyx muttered to Harper as they went back into their rooms for the third time. "It's like they knew exactly what we _wouldn't_ like and went out and chose them."

"That's probably exactly what they did," Harper sighed. "Look at it this way, we've already killed one hour!" she said, trying to sound chipper.

With a final look, Onyx disappeared into her dressing room. This went on for thirty more minutes, for the twins kept finding more horrendous dresses for them to try on. Some were so big that Onyx had trouble getting out off the dressing room, and some were so scandalous that Harper had no choice but to cover herself when she came out but finally, after wiping away tears of laughter, Fred announced that they had tortured the girls enough for the time being.

"Ok ok," he said. "So I guess big and poofy just doesn't work for you," he admitted to Onyx.

"How perceptive of you," she grumbled.

George leaned up against the wall. "And obviously being sexy just isn't your thing, Harps." He had to duck as she swung a well-deserved punch at his face. "I was only joking!" he told her as she began chasing around the store, much to the cashier's dismay.

"You're so mean to me," she told him, cornering him by the jewelry. "What on earth did I do to you to deserve such torture?"

He shrugged. "You're just so cute when you're angry."

She hesitated. "So I'm cute when I'm angry, but scandalous dresses don't make me look sexy," she said slowly. "That makes absolutely no sense at all."

He shrugged again. "Have I ever made sense?"

She tilted her head, considering. "No, I guess not."

"Huh." He tilted his head just like her. "What are you staring at?"

She blinked. "I'm not staring," she said quickly.

"Yes you are."

"Am not!"

"Actually, yes you are," he grinned.

"Actually, no I'm not," she argued. "You're just teasing me again."

"Only because you're staring at me."

"Ugh!" Harper whirled around and walked back to Onyx. "Can we just kill them in their sleep?"

"Of course not, who would we flirt with?" Fred asked her, taking a handful of dresses out of Onyx's dressing room.

"I…" Onyx started but then trailed off. "Wait, what?" She looked at Harper, who looked as shell-shocked as she felt. Thankfully for her, Fred threw another dress in her arms. She looked at him disgruntled.

"Last one, I swear," he assured her.

"Fred, really, do I have to try on one more?" Onyx whined.

"It's either that or I'm going to tell Pretty Boy you don't want to marry him," Fred challenged.

With that Onyx disappeared into the dressing room.

George walked up to Harper and handed her one final dress. "Last one, and if you don't try it on-"

"I know, or else you'll kiss me," Harper said grabbing the dress from his hands and too, disappearing into the dressing room.

George looked at Fred, "that wasn't what I was going to threaten her with," George mused highly perturbed. "Now I know what her subconscious desires are."

Fred let out a light laugh. "Yeah she really wants you bad."

"No I don't!" Harper called from the dressing room. Harper looked over herself in the mirror; she had to admit that the dress George picked was rather fitting for her. The dress was a nice olive green, with off the shoulder straps, and the length skimmed mid calf. Harper was puzzled as to how on earth George picked a perfect dress. "Onyx?" Harper called over the thin wall partition. "Is your dress pretty much perfect too?"

Onyx was likewise admiring the dress Fred had picked out. It was a very mod, strapless knee-length ultra violet frock that hugged in all the right places, complete with pockets. "Yeah, should we be scared?"

"Well I'm pretty much terrified, but I don't know about you," Harper called back. She turned to look at the dress from all sides. "Yeah. I'm terrified."

"I guess these boys will never cease to amaze me," she heard Onyx say through the partition. A few seconds later they were both out of the dressing rooms, still surprised at how well the boys did.

"Do you ever think that sometimes it's all just an act?" Harper asked Onyx in a low voice as they searched the store for the twins.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like, they do things to annoy us and then out of the blue they actually get something right and it just comes to naturally to them, you know? It's like, which side is the real them?"

Onyx mulled this over. "What if both sides are them?" she suggested but Harper just shook her head.

"No way. Nobody could possibly be that infuriating _and_ that perfect while being the same person. It's just not possible," she reasoned as they passed a clothing rack and finally found their boys, trying on all the costume jewelry they could possibly fit onto themselves.

Harper looked at them, eyebrows raised in amusement. "You know," she said thoughtfully after a moment. "Maybe they _are _perfect after all."

"Why Harper," Onyx teased. "Are the twins finally wearing down on that boy-hating exterior of yours?"

"Ha ha," Harper answered sarcastically. "Absolutely not. It's going to take a lot more than a perfect dress and costume jewelry to do that."

It was then that the twins finally realized they were there and stopped crowing each other with some tiaras they had found.

"Wait a second, what are you two doing out already?" Fred asked, mid-coronation. George was so surprised that the tiara fell out of his hands and onto Fred's head. "Ow!" Fred said, rubbing the sore spot.

"Now look what you made me do," George said to them, looking distraught. "I've just killed my own brother!"

"Oh stop dramatizing," Onyx sighed. "He'll be fine. Are we ready to go?"

"Most certainly not!" Fred said loudly, standing up in a hurry. "We haven't seen you in the dresses! How are we supposed to leave if we don't know if they look good on you or not?"

"Oh, they look good on us alright," Harper assured them.

"Prove it," George challenged.

Harper looked at him in dismay."Why can't we just leave it a surprise?"

Fred scoffed. "Because we can't trust you, obviously."

"Are you serious?" Onyx asked. "You do realize who you're talking to, right? We're probably two of the most trustworthy people you know."

Fred and George looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah that's probably true," Fred admitted. "Maybe we should just take their word for it."

George gasped. "Are you daft? What on earth is wrong with you, brother? Don't let their wily ways get to you, that's exactly what they're planning. You're falling into their mind trap! Come back! Stay away from the light!" He finished his speech with a slap to Fred's face.

Fred blinked. "What in the bloody hell was that for?"

George gave an accidental shrug. "Dramatic effect?" he offered.

His answer was a slap back in the face. He stared at his twin. "Have you gone daft?"

"No, why?"

"Because you know I'm just going to hit you back, right?" And with that, Fred got slapped again by George. This only led to a slap boxing tournament that was only stopped when Harper tried to step in and, after accidentally getting slapped, punched George in the arm.

"What the—" George started, looking at his arm as if wondering why it was suddenly hurting. "Hitting's not allowed!" he whined.

"It is so, if it gets you two to stop," Harper argued. "Now, can we leave now?"

"No!" Fred said simply. "Not until we see the dresses."

Onyx held out her dress for them to see. "Look, here they are. Now you've seen them so now we can go."

But George held up his hand to stop the girls as they started walking towards the check-out counter. "Not quite so fast, ladies. Simply seeing them isn't enough, we need to see you _in_ them."

Harper made a face. Why were the boys always so soddy difficult? "Can't it just be a surprise?" she asked.

Onyx stuck her head in the dress and held it up. "Look, I'm in the dress. Are we happy now? Can we just go on about our days now?"

Fred laughed. "That hardly counts. Now it just looks like a deflated balloon."

Onyx's head popped out from underneath the dress. "Are you calling me fat?" she demanded sHarpsly. Harper had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at Fred's suddenly horrified look.

"Um, no of course not," he stammered. "Why on earth would I do that? Every boy knows you never call a girl fat unless you have a death wish."

"And do you?" Onyx asked with a straight face, trying to look angry even though she was trying oh so hard to keep from laughing along with Harper.

"Do I what?" Fred asked hesitantly.

"Have a death wish."

George made a noise that sounded like crickets chirping and Harper poked him to hush him up, while trying to hide a smile.

"No." Fred said. "Hey, so how about we go now, eh? Anybody else want to leave? I want to leave, don't you, George? Yeah, let's go…" and with that, Fred practically ran to the check-out counter.

Harper looked at Onyx, admiration shining in her face. "That was bloody Guinness," she hissed as George hurried after his twin.

Onyx shrugged, trying not to look too pleased with herself. "It was nothing," she said modestly. "Just a small stroke of brilliance, that's all."

"I'll say," Harper said reverently, walking over and putting her dress on the counter so that the cashier could ring it up. "So, what's next on the agenda, boys?" she asked the twins as she paid for the dress, which was even on sale, much to her relief. That only added to it's perfection.

"Well, you two are going to go home, put on your dresses, and cook us dinner," George told her, counting it all off on his fingers.

Onyx caught a look from the cashier. "We lost a bet," she explained hurriedly. The cashier nodded in understanding and tallied up the total for Onyx. Soon after that, the dresses were bagged up and they were ready to leave.

"About time," Harper muttered as they opened the doors and they stepped into fresh air for the first time in what felt like hours.

"You really hate shopping, don't you," George observed.

"What was your first clue?" she asked conversationally.

"The fact that you hate shopping, probably," he answered. "I just don't understand it."

"Join the club," Onyx laughed. "Harper is an anomaly."

Harper glanced at her. "I'm going to go ahead and take that as a compliment."

Fred, who was jumping on the snow like Godzilla as they made their way down the street, laughed. "Only you would take that the right way," he mused. "Hey, we have enough Floo powder to get back, right?"

George checked his pocket and nodded. "Of course. We wouldn't want to involve Pretty Boy again, now would we?"

Fred shuddered. "Absolutely not. How dare you even suggest such a thing."

Onyx chose to ignore this, realizing once and for all that there was absolutely nothing she could do to get the twins to stop ragging on her boyfriend. A part of her hated it, as she should have. But another part of her wondered exactly why the twins hated him so much. Harper had her theories but there was no way that they were true. Absolutely no way. It just wasn't in the realm of possibility.

"Onyx, are you even paying attention?" Harper asked, breaking into Onyx's reverie.

Onyx shook her head, waking herself up. "Hmm? What are we talking about?"

Harper laughed at her friend's daydreaming. "Well to be honest, I was sticking up for your boyfriend, if you can believe that."

Onyx blinked in disbelief. "You stuck up for Cedric?"

"I know, right? What's gotten into her?" Fred scoffed. "Why on earth would anybody stick up for that stick in the mud?"

"He's not a stick in the mud," snapped Onyx. "He has loads of personality."

Fred opened his mouth, probably to make a snide comment about Cedric but Harper hit him in the gut.

"Fred, let it go," she advised.

George looked at her. "Why are you suddenly on his side?"

Sighing audibly, Harper stopped and turned around to face them. "Because, if Onyx likes him then he really can't be all that bad, can he? She's a good judge of character and she wouldn't go out with a total git. So yes, I am sticking up for him because Onyx's my friend and therefore I need to be friendly to him. Ok?" With that, she turned around and kept walking, leaving a bewildered set of twins and a very thankful friend.

"Um…" George started. "Who just possessed her?"

Shaking his head, Fred trudged onward, following Harper. George looked at Onyx.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" he asked in the tone that one uses when they already know the answer.

Rolling her eyes, Onyx instead followed Harper and Fred, leaving George standing alone in the street, wondering what was wrong with the world.

The way back to the Burrow was rather silent, as George was afraid to say anything lest he make everyone else mad again and nobody else wanted to say anything because they didn't want to bring it up again. The result was an awkward silence for the net twenty or so minutes until finally Harper had had enough.

"Ugh, that's it" she cried after they had arrived back at the Burrow and milled about the kitchen without speaking. "The silence is driving me crazy! Somebody say something!"

They all looked at each other, nobody wanting to be the first to speak.

Harper look from one to the other, disbelieving. "Are you serious." She threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. I'll have a conversation with myself if that's what you want."

This was met with more silence, but she earned a smirk from George. Onyx was too upset at George to speak rationally. His final jabs at Cedric, and Harper finally standing up for him had been the final straw and now she only wanted to yell at him but yelling at him would make everybody else more upset and that was the last thing she wanted and Fred was upset that Onyx was upset and furthermore was upset because of his twin brother who suddenly decided that now would be a great time to be a git and poor Harper was upset because everybody else was upset.

"Nobody's gonna talk," Harper said. "Awesome. Alright well, Harper, how are you doing today?" She took a sidestep and looked at the spot she had just been standing in. "Oh well funny you should ask, Harper, I've had a terrible day. I've had to go dress shopping and try on dozens of dresses and you would never imagine how utterly scarring that was and then everybody got upset at each other and now I'm having a conversation with myself. How about you?"

By then, Onyx was laughing too hard to say anything in response but the fact that people were laughing made Harper feel better already. "Can we just make dinner now?" she asked, batting her eyelashes and striking an innocent pose for the group.

"Ok fine," Onyx gave in. "Let's just make dinner and forget this ever happened and not talk about Cedric for the rest of the night. Deal?"

"Deal!" George cried suddenly, jumping up from his seat. "I hated being quiet."

"That's only because you _can't_ be quiet," Fred told him.

George looked affronted. "Can so."

"Ten bucks says you can't go an hour without speaking," Harper said from the kitchen, getting ready to make dinner with Onyx.

"Ten bucks says I don't even want to try," he shot back.

"Ten bucks you just know you can't do it."

"Ten bucks I don't care either way."

"Ten bucks you do care, you just don't want to admit it," Harper said.

"Ten buck s you don't know what you're talking about," George smiled.

"Ten bucks I know enough to write a book."

"Ten bucks you never write a book," he laughed.

"Ten bucks if either of you shut up!" Fred shouted at them, throwing a banana at George.

"Wha… did you just throw a banana at me?" George looked at the banana on the ground. "You did. Why would you throw a banana at me?"

Fred shrugged. "I don't know, its all that was around. I guess I could have gone upstairs to get my pillow but by then it would have just been random."

"Yeah, but a banana?" George asked again. "The poor banana. You probably just ruined it's day. Do you think it woke up this morning and said, 'man I really hope I get thrown today'? You just threw it's whole dynamic askew."

George snorted. "Now it has a dynamic?"

"Everything has a dynamic, duh!" Fred was wide-eyed. "How can you be my twin and not know this?"

Onyx looked at Harper, eye brows raised in inaudible communication that was immediately understood by the former. This was the beauty of being best friends. One did not need to actually speak to purvey what they were trying to say. All they needed to do was be able to read each other. And this, my friends, is what Onyx and Harper excelled at.

Author's note: You may have noticed that this novel is more banter and dialogue than anything else and we would like to apologize but also explain that it is more realistic this way. You don't agree? Fine. But you pay more attention to what people say in life, do you not? Who really pays attention to how somebody's eyes looked when you said this, or their hand gestures when they said that, or when they started walking, or little details like that. They are details you see and then forget right away. It's unrealistic to describe every single little thing because who on earth can remember that? Nobody. What people do remember are things that are said. Hence, our story is made of things people say.

Carry on.

"I'm not your twin by choice, sir," George continued. "I would be Houdini's twin if it were up to me."

Laughter rang out from Harper and Onyx. The twin's discussion about the banana and dynamics and how good of a twin Houdini would make a better twin than either of them combined continued while Onyx and Harper slaved over the lasagna the boys had requested. There was much dissent over the dish caused by the girls' lack of cooking skills and it would have helped if they could have used magic but being underage has its drawbacks and having to actually cook would count as one of those drawbacks. However, after almost being burnt twice, the dish was finished and served and still heaping hot as George took a ginormous bite of the thing.

"You hurnt my hongue," was all he managed while fanning his tongue with his hands.

Stifling a laugh, Harper got up to help fan all while trying to appear sympathetic but it proved rather difficult as Onyx and Fred made no show of hiding how humorous they found the situation.

"You're not helping much, you know," Harper told them.

"No, but you'll probably help him more by getting a tad bit closer," Fred nodded to her.

"What does that mean?" she asked him.

He leaned in close to her. "Kissing". He gave her a wink and another nod and then leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table and resting his arms behind his head as though it was a job well done.

"Fred!" George's tongue had made a full recovery and now he was hitting his twin with his fists. "What—are—you—doing?"

"Talking, aren't I allowed to do that? Is that illegal now in the world of George? You can make jokes but I can't? Is the K word outlawed? Kissing, kissing, kissing!" Fred taunted.

"Hitting, hitting, hitting," George retorted, trying to make his punches simultaneous with his words and failing a little bit.

"Boys, stop it!" Onyx demanded, trying to get between them. "You'll get lasagna all over and then your mother will be upset!"

This, of all things, is what got Fred and George to stop fighting. They both froze, and then sat back down, picked up their forks, and took a bite of their dinner simultaneously. Onyx blinked, then slowly sat back down, looking at Harper and wondered if she was just as confused as she. As it turns out, she was but not as relieved as she was that Fred had stopped tossing about the K word.

Dinner was smooth after that, with the twins only speaking when asking somebody to pass the salt or refill their sparkling grape non-alcoholic juice. After they had finished and Harper and Onyx had done the dishes, which for some reason was much less of a chore than making the actual dinner had been, Fred and George disappeared upstairs for a moment, only to appear a minute later with something hidden behind Fred's back.

"Fred," Onyx said slowly. "What do you have?"

Fred looked to George. "Do I have something, George?"

"Um, no, I don't think so, Fred. Why would you ask that, Onyx?" George asked, cocking his head sideways.

"Because you have something behind your back," she explained.

"Oh, do I?" Fred looked surprised. "Well maybe I'll show you if you and Harper take a seat in the living room."

Harper practically ran to the living room and jumped on the couch, taking time only to smooth her dress out to get herself situated.

"Well, that was speedy," George commented to nobody in particular. "And that was speedier," he added as Onyx ran to the couch to join Harper.

"Ok, we're here. Where is our surprise?" Harper wanted to know, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Ready, Fred?" George asked.

"Ready, George," Fred answered and then, with much flair, he pulled out a bottle from behind his back.

"Whiskey?" Harper hissed, recognizing the bottle right away. "You got us _whiskey_?"

George looked from her to the bottle. "How did you know it was whiskey?" he asked in awe.

Harper shrugged. "My parents."

"Oh." George looked as though he wasn't sure whether to be impressed or frightened. Onyx, however, looked skeptical.

"Why on earth do you have whiskey?"

Fred held up a finger. "Ah ah, not just whiskey, my uneducated friend. This is premium fire whiskey. Completely different."

George nodded in agreement. "Who wants some first?"


	28. Chapter 28

_**Author's Note: **__AndTheSnakesStartToSing, you are too kind with your reviews! And ALL the UGH, are we right? Carry on._

An hour later they were plastered. Completely and utterly plastered. In fact, you might think we're kidding about this but we're not. They were drunk.

Harper and Onyx had each fallen off the couch three times and Harper was one laugh away from her fourth. Then there was Fred and George who, quite unexpectedly, got quiet. Who knew? But they were having a grand old time being drunk and having fun and having moments (like you wouldn't believe) when suddenly the doorbell rang. All four of them froze.

"What was that?" Harper finally asked. "Is that your mom?" she suddenly gasped. "Oh my gosh, it's your mom, it's your mom, what are we going to do, we're drunk and your mom is home and she's going to come in and see us and then she'll hate us and she'll kick us out and we'll never be allowed to see you again…"

"Harper," George started to no avail. "Harper," he tried again to calm her down but she was too freaked out to listen. "Harper, calm down!" he finally shouted.

"Don't yell at me!" she yelled back.

"I'm yelling because you're yelling!"

"But I yelled first!" Harper whispered, looking frightened. Then the doorbell rang again and they all jumped.

Onyx poked Fred. "Go answer it."

His eyes widened in fright. "Why me?"

"Because I told you to," she demanded.

"So you do it," he poked her back.

"Ok." Onyx jumped up and stumbled all the way to the door, laughing at her sudden clumsiness. Her laughter ended as soon as she opened the door. "Cedric?"

Cedric Diggory opened his arms wide, grinning. "Happy new year!"

"Um," Onyx stuttered, grasping for something to say. The alcohol, most unfortunately, was making this far more difficult than it should have been. "Er..."

"Pretty boy," Fred greeted him from behind Onyx, sounding less than enthused to see his rival. "Surely you aren't here to stay."

"Well I'm not here to keep the porch warm," Cedric answered with a slightly sardonic smile.

"Right, come in, I forgot that you're inside. I mean outside. I mean, warm," Onyx said, ushering him in.

"Onyx," he said, peering at her face. "Are you drunk?"

Onyx blushed. "No," she finally managed to say. "Are you?"

Cedric shook his head. "You're drunk. How did you get drunk?" He rounded on Fred. "Why are you letting her drink?"

Fred just shrugged. "I only had the whiskey, I didn't make her drink. I only forced her."

Onyx nodded fervently. "Whickey is good," she sang.

"You mean whiskey," Fred corrected.

"We just left George and Harper alone!" Onyx cried with the dawn of realization. She stumbled back into the living room only to find the two of them having what appeared to be a genuinely serious conversation. "Oh, well that's not what I expected."

"What were you expecting?" Cedric asked, following her.

"Snogging, I guess," she said, smiling at the thought. "If only, if only."

Cedric looked at her, considering. "Hey, let's go upstairs," he suggested.

"Hmm? What for? I'm not done with my whisk yet," she complained.

"Whiskey," Fred corrected again.

And so they started drinking again, finishing the whole entire bottle of fire whiskey within the next hour. Cedric played the gentleman, only drinking one shot before announcing himself the designated driver. Nobody caught that they didn't need to be driven anywhere. But if Harper and Onyx were plastered before, they were drywall now. They were beyond slurring and were now speaking completely coherent sentences, just with far too many words.

Cedric, however, decided it was time for Onyx to go to bed and practically had to drag her up the stairs since she really wanted to go outside and watch the butterflies frolic. Now that Onyx was gone, Fred was once more listless. Bored with him, George opted to have yet another serious conversation with Harper. That is, until she started falling asleep on his shoulder, which he didn't really mind except she suddenly raised her head as she woke up and hit his chin.

"Oh, sorry love," she apologized. "I didn't mean it."

"You know how you can make it up to me?" George asked her.

She thought about it for a minute. "Well I guess I could kiss you but I should probably just go to bed because I'm going to have a horrible hangover."

"Very astute of you," he observed.

"I'm smarter than you know," she told him. "Alright, I'm going to attempt to go up the stairs and into my bed without falling down and dying on the stairs." She stood up, patted his head, and then headed towards the stairs. It took all of two seconds for him to jump up and appear at her side.

"Oh, hi George!" she greeted him as though she hadn't seen him in days.

"Hi," he smiled. "What's up?"

She looked up and then frowned. "Mistletoe. I hate mistletoe. Why on earth do we need a plant to tell us to kiss? Shouldn't it be done in the moment? Why do we let such things dictate what we do?"

"Heaven forbid you just kiss me anyway," George rolled his eyes.

She looked at him. "Now, why would I kiss you, George Weasley?"

"Because you want to, obviously," was his obvious answer.

"I politely disagree."

"Oh do you," he challenged.

"I do oh. If I had wanted to kiss you, I would have done it hours ago. Or straight away," she told him. "I wouldn't have waited for you to tell me to."

"You really don't like being told what to do, do you," he mused.

"I hate it," she said vehemently. "Almost as much as I hate mistletoe."

George laughed to himself, shaking his head in amusement.

"Are you laughing at me?" Harper asked him. "You're laughing at me. Why are you laughing at me?" She looked so put off that he had to laugh more.

"Because you're such an amusing anomaly, my dear," he told her. "Sometimes I don't know what to make of you."

Harper bit her lip and thought. "Fine by me," she announced. "The less you know me, the less you'll like me."

"And you don't want me to like you?"

"Absolutely not," she shook her head. "Whoa, too fast," she said, holding her head to stop the room from spinning. George helped steady her.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now I attempt to climb the mountain," she announced. She attempted to break away but George was still holding onto her.

"Just wait one minute, ma'am," he told her. "I have a question to ask of thee."

"And I have an answer."

"Good. Explain to me again why you hate mistletoe so much."

She laughed. "That's easy. There's no surprise. You see the mistletoe and know right away that you're going to get kissed. Where's the romance in that? It's so expected, it's almost obligatory and who wants an obligatory kiss? Kisses are supposed to be passionate, romantic, and full of meaning. Mistletoe kisses are meaningless, and if it's meaningless then it's not memorable. I want a memorable kiss, one I'll be able to tell our grandchildren about—"

She didn't even get to pause and realize that she had just said "our". Instead she got the elusive Cut-off kiss where he cut her off mid-sentence with a kiss.

And suddenly there were fireworks. So startled was she that she broke away in awe.

"Did you just see that?" she asked.

"The fireworks? Yeah," George answered, gazing off into the distance.

"Where did that come from?" Harper asked him quietly.

"Gunpowder, I'd imagine. The Chinese, I think." He yelped as Harper hit him as per usual.

"I meant the kiss, you dingbat," she laughed at him.

"What kiss?"

Her eyes widened and George immediately felt bad.

"I was kidding," he hastened to explain. "It was a joke, I swear. I couldn't forget that already."

Harper looked relieved. "I was gonna say, you must have alcohol pumping through your heart if you already can't remember that. And I thought I was drunk!"

"Harper," he began. He uncharacteristically pulled her into a hug. "You don't like boys, do you?"

Harper pulled away from him, looking very confused. "No, they're all dumb. Why do you ask?"

"Because I have the feeling that you felt nothing from that kiss," he said honestly.

"George," she said. He looked down to her only to get the equally elusive Surprise kiss, which was doubly surprising because, come on. It's Harper.

This went on for a few minutes until George reminded her that she had been on her way to bed.

"Oh right," she said, remembering why they were beneath the mistletoe in the first place. She glanced at the clock. "Oops, it's past midnight!"

George turned around to see for himself. "So it is. Why is that important."

"Wasn't tonight some holiday?"

"Oh right, new years. That's why Cedric came over." George hesitated. "Right?"

Harper made a face. "I should probably go up there and save her from dying of boredom."

"Shall I assist you?" George asked, holding out his arm for her to take hold of.

"If it so pleases you," Harper accepted. "Or," she said slowly, glancing into the living room. "You can go mend your brother's broken heart."

George followed her gaze and saw Fred just sitting there. "Oh brother," he muttered.

"Exactly," Harper agreed, giving him a shove. "G'night, sir."

"Good night, milady," he said with a bow, watching her ramble up the steps. Only when she was out of sight did he turn to his brother. "Alright, my twin, what ails you?"

"Loneliness," Fred answered without looking up, taking a swig from the empty bottle, and staring at it in disappointment when it refused to relinquish its last drop.

Meanwhile, things were getting down and dirty upstairs. What was mere snogging soon ended up topless and what was merely topless soon ended up bottomless and all the while Onyx was not entirely convinced that it was a good idea, or so Cedric thought. And so they soiled Fred's bed, starting the new year off right. Or wrong, depending on whose side you're on.

The morning after is always a series of confusion for those just waking up because at first they can't remember where they are, much less what had happened to lead them to be there. So it was that Harper awoke nice and comfortable, cuddled up in the arms of somebody nice and warm until she realized that she hadn't fallen asleep in somebody's arms and that something had gone awry. Slowly so as not to wake whomever it was, she raised her head to see just who it was she was sharing a bed with.

George.

Well. How did that happen? Casting around in her mind for clues, she decided that she had no idea. Giving up on figuring it out, she looked around the room to see if Onyx was seeing this. Then she froze. Onyx was still asleep. And there was another lump in her bed. And it appeared as though she had no clothes on, Harper noticed as her eyes slid to the floor and saw the dress Fred had picked out for her in a thoughtless pile where it had been thrown carelessly.

Suddenly Harper needed to get out of the room. Now. Before anybody else got up and all four of them freaked out and panicked and got Fred involved. Gently, she prodded George's collarbone.

"George," she barely whispered. "George, wake up please. Wake up, wake up, wake up."

Murmuring incoherently, George merely rolled over, pinning Harper down into the mattress with his arms. She blew on his face. "Get up, you dingbat!"

This time he blinked, saw Harper, and blinked again. "Blimey," was all he said.

"George, you need to get up, we have to get out of here otherwise Onyx and Cedric will see us and bad things will happen," Harper hurried to explain.

"Onyx and Cedric are here too?" George looked around the bed as if expecting them all together.

"No, you idiot, they're in Fred's bed," she said exasperatedly. "Now let's _go_." She started pushing on his arms to get them off her. "Gerroff!"

"Um actually, I kind of like you where you are, thanks," George teased. "I'm rather curious to see what would happen if they wake up and see us here."

"I'm absolutely not," Harper told him. She poked his chest again. "Let's just go so get off me."

They both stopped when they heard a muffled sound from the other bed.

"Good morning, vixen," Cedric said, kissing Onyx to wake her up. He looked up to see Harper and George looking at them.

"See, now look what you've done," Harper hissed to George.

Onyx then yawned and stretched her arms, awoken by Cedric's kiss. "What do you mean by vixen?" she asked him, opening her eyes.

"Vixen?" George asked.

Onyx's eyes widened. "Why are you here?" She saw Harper. "Why are you here with _her_?"

"Yeah, why are you in bed with me?" Harper demanded to know.

"Why are you in my bed?" George demanded right back.

Cedric cleared his throat. "Would you two please give us some privacy?"

"Fine," Harper said. She threw the covers off herself and leapt out the door. "But you still have some explaining to do."

Begrudgingly, George eased off the bed and went to the door, catching it so that it didn't slam after Harper slipped through.

"Wow, that was so difficult," he said, panting.

Harper ignored this and instead focused on the more important issue at hand. "Why were you in bed with me?"

Corners of his mouth twitching at the way her query was worded, he offered a shrug. "I have no clue. I don't even remember going to bed, much less deciding to crawl into bed with you. My head hurt too much to think." Once he mentioned his headache, it came back full force.

"Hangover," Harper said simply. "Let's go get you some water to make you feel better."

"Why Harper," he said, rubbing his temples. "Are you offering to take care of me?"

"Only because I know how bad hangovers can be," she sang, already traipsing down the stairs.

He stopped before he followed her. "You do?"

"Of course, my parents," she explained. "What, you think _I_ get them all the time? Did you see me last night? I'm more lightweight than a feather."

"Oh." He continued to follow her downstairs. "So how is it waking up in my arms?"

She again ignored this, instead glancing up at the mistletoe at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Mistletoe. I hate mistletoe. Why on earth do we need a plant to tell us to kiss? Shouldn't it be done in the moment? Why do we let such things dictate what we do?" she ranted. Then, everything rushed back and she raised her head to stare at George, who had the look on his face one gets when they suddenly remember everything that happened the night before.

"You kissed me," he accused.

"I kissed you!" She narrowed her eyes. "Lies. You kissed me first!"

He smirked. "Ah, but you do admit that we kissed."

"George, why were we kissing last night?" Harper wailed, looking far more pained at the thought than he deemed necessary. She sat down in the nearest kitchen chair, staring into nothingness. "I am never getting drunk again."

George hesitated before squatting down next to her. "Harper," he started. "One night of kissing is not enough to punish yourself forever by never drinking again," he said rationally.

She had to admit this was true. "But you kissed me!" she wailed again.

He sighed and hung his head. "You're never going to forget that, are you."

She shook her head violently. "Only because it's _you_ and I'm _me_ and that would make it _us_ and us is just so weird."

"What's so weird about us?"

"It's _us_!" she tried to emphasize. "You and I, we don't make us, we make George and Harper." She stopped as she said it. "Actually that doesn't sound half bad."

He raised a concerned eyebrow. "Are you still drunk?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"You just said that George and Harper didn't sound half bad together," he reminded her.

"Hmm?" she asked, not really listening. "So? It kind of does."

"So, what are you saying? Our names sound good together? Doesn't that mean something to you?" he delved.

"Yeah, together our names are rather aesthetically pleasing." Harper looked confused. "What are you getting at, George. You think we ought to be together now because our names sound good together?"

He looked thoughtful. "That," he started. "And other things."

"Such as what," Harper asked, getting out of her chair and walking to the cabinet. "Gingers and brunettes look good together too?" She went over to the sink and filled a glass with water and brought it back to him. "Or because we have a connection?" She handed him his glass and sat back down. "Or is it because deep down you actually really like me and I've just been trying to ignore it for months?"

He took his glass, grinning. "D," he answered. "All of the above."

"Thought so." She stood up, kissed him on top of his head, ruffled his hair, and then went over to the living room to check up on poor heartbroken Fred.

"What, so that's it?" George asked, getting up and following her. "A kiss good-bye and we're done?"

She looked at him from over her shoulder. "Done? What do you mean, done? How can we be done if we never even started?"

"Well if we're going to be done so soon then maybe I don't want to start," he said haughtily.

"How will you know if we never even start?" she smiled, enjoying teasing him a little too much. She reached for the empty bottle in Fred's unconscious clutch, only to have it snatched away by George first.

"That sounds like a challenge," he told her, eyebrows raised teasingly.

She tried to take the bottle from him but his grip was too strong. They had a short tussle which he won of course, but she finally gave up and opted to tend on Fred again. He was fine, but even in sleep he looked sad. She watched him, feeling sympathetic. The poor boy, and what would he do if he found out about Onyx and Cedric?

"What's wrong?" George asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Laughing, she pushed his face away. "I just feel bad for him. He likes her so much and she only has a clue and she ignores it completely because stupid Pretty Boy has her under his spell and he's so dumb and not good for her and she and Fred could be perfect if she let it happen but she won't and it's just so wrong!" By now she was no longer laughing, but had worked herself into a fury.

"Harper, calm down," George ordered, putting his hands on her shoulders to pacify her. "You just have to let it happen. If you rush it, then nothing will happen. So if you want it to happen, you just have to wait."

He found the surprised look on her face rather insulting.

"When did you get so smart?" she wanted to know. "I thought you were the dumb one."

He gave her a push to get her away from him. "You know, maybe I don't like you that much after all."

She shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Liar."

"Alright, so what if I take you up on your challenge," she asked. "What happens next?"

"I decline," he said simply.

She made a face. "As if you could deny me."

"True, it has proven to be rather difficult these past few months," he admitted. He went and propped his brother up so that he looked like he was sitting. "Can we draw on him? Give him a mustache or something?"

She hit him upside the head. "You are a terrible person. I don't know if I could date you in good conscious knowing how awful you are. I feel as though that would be condoning your behavior."

"Date?" George's ears perked up at the mention of the word. Even though they had been talking circles about it, neither of them had actually mentioned _dating_.

Harper froze. "Did I just say that?"

"Yes," George told her, hardly able to contain his glee.

"Oh. Subconscious desires, I suppose." Then she froze again. "Did I just say that too?"

He chuckled. "Methinks thou doth protest too much."

"Ok, so what now?" she asked him, standing straight and folding her arms across her chest.

"We tell Mum," he said simply. "Once she knows, the whole world will and then we'll _have_ to be official. Deal?"

She watched him, wheels turning in her brain. She weighed the pros and cons and found that there really were no cons. She briefly had a vision flash across her eyes of little red headed children running rampant around the Burrow, Onyx and Fred laughing on the couch, hand in hand, and she and George alone in some corner, having a thumb war. She rolled her eyes as the vision faded. They _would_ be having a thumb war.

She held out her hand for George to shake. "We have an accord."

Grinning that mischievous grin of his, he took her hand and kissed it, then pulled her down into his lap. "Alright, my dear, what is our first order of business as a couple?"

Apparently, it was to watch curiously as they heard a furious stomping down the stairs and then saw a furious Cedric Diggory leap from the stairwell and run out the door.

"Well. That was odd," Harper commented.

Not really, if one understands what happened upstairs after Harper and George fled the room. It was only after they disappeared that Onyx fully awoke. She smiled as she leaned in to kiss Cedric, clutching her sheets to herself… and then she stopped. Why was she clutching the sheets to herself? And why was it so cold in here? She looked to the window to see if it was open. It wasn't. How strange. Then her eyes fell on a sparkly shiny thing on the floor. It must be her dress.

Wait. Onyx's eyes widened in horror. Why was her dress on the floor? She was wearing it when she went to bed. Actually, now that she thought about it she couldn't really remember going to bed. She couldn't really remember anything about last night at all. She glanced as Cedric.

Oh great. It appeared as though his clothes were on the floor as well. This was just getting better and better. Onyx wasn't sure if she should say something to him or not, because she wasn't sure what to say. She was fearing for the worst at this point and it was practically crippling. She sat there for a minute, going through all of the scenarios in her head. She had never intended for this to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not with _Cedric_.

Uh oh, she wasn't supposed to think things like that. She loved Cedric.

Speak of the devil…

"What are you thinking about, vixen," Cedric greeted again her, giving her a kiss.

"Um, what?" she asked him. "Vixen?"

"Don't you remember last night?" he asked her, now kissing her shoulder.

"Actually no, I don't," she admitted.

"At all?" He stopped kissing her to stare at her. "You remember nothing?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Why, did I miss something?"

He looked thoughtful. "Well, I think so."

"Cedric, what did we do?" she asked him.

"Honestly?"

"Yes, of course." She braced herself. "I want to know."

"How can you not remember?" he said in disbelief. "It was the greatest night of my life!"

She looked skeptical. "Really?"

"Yes, and I have you to thank for it."

"So," she bit her lip. "We really did it?"

He nodded.

"Huh." She looked around the room, at all of Fred and George's stuff. "This feels wrong."

He looked taken aback. "It what?"

"It's wrong, it's all wrong," Onyx said in a rush. "Cedric, you have to leave." She decided suddenly.

Now he just looked at her stupidly. "I what?"

"You have to leave." She pointed at the door. "Get your clothes, and let me think for a little bit. I just need to… think. We shouldn't have done this."

"Onyx, are you kidding me? You're kicking me out?"

She looked at him. "Yes. I am. Now go. Please."

He tried to smile, to get her to admit she was joking. Instead she pointed to the door again. His face darkened.

"This is the thanks I get?" he asked. "Fine. Fine, I'll go. But I'm not going to visit you again."

"That's fine," she said quickly. "I'll see you at school."

He gave her one more look, then got out of the bed and fished around for his clothes. "You know, I didn't think you would react like this. I thought you were different."

"Different than who?" she asked.

"You know," he said, getting dressed as quickly as he could. "Just different."

"You aren't being honest," she accused.

"Yeah, well you aren't being very accepting," he shot back.

"Accepting?" she snapped. "I don't remember anything. For all I know it was all you!"

He whirled around to face her, looking angry. "How dare you accuse me like that! You know what, I'm leaving." He waved his wand over the bed to clean it up and then stomped to the door, slamming it behind him as he ran down the steps and flew out the door, leaving Harper and George very confused as they watched him leave and Onyx alone to cry.

Harper looked at George. "What do you think happened?"

"The deed," he said simply.

She blinked. "And by the deed, you mean something other than the deed, right?"

He looked apologetic. "Probably not."

"There's no way," she murmured. "She wouldn't do that, though."

"But he would," George said darkly.

Harper didn't bother to respond to that because that is when Fred finally started stirring.

"Who just huffed out the door?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes as he attempted to sit up.

Harper got up and went to the kitchen to get him some water for his head, letting George answer.

"It was Cedric," he told his twin. "He stormed out in a huff, probably because Onyx just kicked him out."

At this, Fred brightened up, sitting up straight. "She kicked him out? She kicked Pretty Boy out of the house? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He jumped up and then immediately fell back down. "Ok so gravity suddenly hates me."

Harper hurried back to him with a glass of water. "Here," she said, offering it to him. "This might help. Then you can go save the day."

He drank it in one gulp and then jumped up again. After swaying a little, he announced himself fine, and made a show of running to the stairwell. Harper waited and then heard a loud crash as he stumbled a little bit.

"If he falls down those stairs…" she muttered.

"Maybe it will fix his brain," George said cheerfully.

She looked at him exasperatedly. "There's nothing wrong with his brain, unless you count the fact that he thinks he can save the day and sweep her off her feet."

"That's actually exactly what I meant," he admitted with a smile.

"Poor Fred," Harper said sympathetically, looking up at the ceiling.

"What, now you like him instead?" George asked, looking jealous.

She laughed. "Well he does look just like you…"

His face looked less than entertained.

Fred, on the other hand, had finally made it up the stairs and had only stumbled three times. Feeling might fine, he knocked on Onyx's door adding as much flair to the knock as possible.

"Who is it?" he heard a slightly panicked voice call from inside.

"It's Fred," he said. "Onyx, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she called shrilly in a voice that sounded anything but fine.

"Are you sure?" he called back, not sounding as if he believed her. Concerned, he turned the knob and let himself in. "So, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm naked!" she screamed at him.

He frowned. "Fine, don't tell me," he said huffily, closing the door behind him. Girls. They were so cryptic sometimes. Disappointed beyond belief, he turned to leave when his stomach lurched. He looked left and right, forgetting where the bathroom was. Remembering with a rush of relief, he ran and barely made it.

"Fred?" Onyx, still concerned for his well-being, snatched up some normal clothes, threw them on and then stumbled out into the hall to check up on him. "Fred, are you okay?" She looked around and didn't see him at first until she heard him hurling again in answer. "Fred."

There he was, hugging the porcelain. Poor baby. Onyx wanted to help him but the more he gagged the more her own gag reflex kicked in.

"Fred, I'm sorry, but…" she gagged again. "I have to go!" Running out of the bathroom and into fresh air, she was finally able to breathe again. Taking a few gulps of air, she began to feel better.

Fred managed to let out a groan. "I am never drinking again."

"That's what they all say," she offered wisely. She came back in and patted his back. "It'll be over soon enough."

Fred hurled again, and Onyx did her best not to gag. She held back his hair and soon enough ended up being another hour until finally his stomach was purged. When he managed to get downstairs, with Onyx's help, they found George and Harper canoodling on the couch together and it stopped them in their tracks.

"Love interest!" Fred cried out triumphantly.

"Are you drinking again?" Onyx asked in shock.

"There's no way, I finished the bottle," Fred pointed out. "This is the real deal."

George laughed. "As opposed to the fake one?"

Harper looked at him. "I thought it was fake."

"You are so incredibly mean," he told her.

Onyx held up her hands. "Wait," she said. "I don't understand. What is going on here? Are you two… you know?"

"Crazy?" George supplied helpfully. "I'm sure other people would say so."

"But how did this happen?" she wanted to know. "I mean, it's you guys. I just saw you an hour ago and you sure weren't together then."

George shrugged. "Sometimes you just have to let it happen. Or maybe just wait forever."

"You're going to make me feel bad," Harper said, hitting him.

"You deserve it," he told her.

"Can you two stop being so cute for a minute?" Fred asked, slumping onto the loveseat. "You're going to make me sick again."

"How can you possibly have more to hurl?" Onyx teased. "You pretty much just pumped your stomach."

"Don't remind me," he said, rubbing his stomach. "I am never drinking again."

Harper scoffed. "That's what they all say."

"That's what Onyx said earlier," he remembered.

"It's true, though. Everybody says it," Harper said. "But they always do it again. Always."

"Whatever you say, alchie," Fred mocked.

It was Onyx's turn to laugh. "If she were an alcoholic she'd be able to hold her alcohol better."

"Hardy har har," Harper said. "Let's all laugh at the lightweight, shall we?"

Fred nodded. "We shall."

"What a loving family we are," Onyx mused.

Fred looked at her. "But, we're not a family," he pointed out. "Not yet, at least."

"Are you assuming we will be?" Harper asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

He merely shrugged in answer. "I saw it in my tealeaves."

"You _hate_ Divination," Onyx scoffed.

"And now you know why," he said. "It tells me that I'll be stuck with you lot for the rest of my life. I can't even imagine what the family portraits will look like."

Harper rolled her eyes. "Okay so can we know why Cedric just stormed out of the house? What happened? Did you guys have a fight?"

"Did you beat him up?" George asked accusingly.

"Did you break up?" Fred asked hopefully.

Much to their surprise, Onyx didn't even pretend to be bothered or annoyed. Instead her face just fell. Immediately Harper knew something was wrong.

"This can't be good," she muttered to nobody in particular, getting up off the couch to take Onyx off into another room so that they could talk without the twins getting in the way. "Come on, time for some girl talk," she said matter of factly, pulling Onyx away by the crook of her arm before Onyx could argue.

Fred and George glanced at each other.

"Extendable Ears?" they asked in unison. They grinned and then dashed away to their room to get a pair of the devious eavesdroppers they had invented. Unfortunately for them, in the time it took for them to run upstairs, find the ears amongst all of Onyx's belongings, and run back downstairs to listen with them, the girls were already done with their mysterious girl talk and back on the couch. Onyx had the look of one who had was awaiting a verdict while Harper had the look of one who wasn't sure if she should run away or stay and face the music. Neither looked up as the boys entered the living room, nor did they spare a comment about the Extendable Ears in their hands.

"Whoa, who died?" Fred asked, stopping as soon as he saw them.

Onyx gave a rueful smile. "My dignity."

George opened his mouth to make a joke about her lack of dignity regardless but caught Harper's look just in time. A quick shake of her head told him not to push it so he shut his mouth. Fred, however, didn't catch Harper's hint and therefore made several cracks on Onyx's account, some of which included the fact that dignity had never been her friend so she really had nothing to worry about.

Her mind was in such a cacophonous jumble that anything that was being said in the room went in one ear and right out the other. She didn't really remember telling Harper about what happened, much less Harper's reaction to the news. Which, now that she thought about it, was probably a good thing as Harper's reaction would probably only make things worse. If they could actually be worse. So she wasn't really paying attention when suddenly Harper was hitting Fred with his own Extendable Ear while George was in a corner of the room, collapsed with laughter.

Announcing that she was still tired and/or drunk, Onyx then excused herself from their company and meandered up the stairs. Curled back in the bed, wrapped in the sheets for a completely different reason than when she woke up, she tried not to think about it as she closed her eyes and fell back asleep. After she left, the others all realized that they were still tired too.

"Maybe she's not as dumb as she looks," yawned Fred, shying away as Harper tried to hit him with an Extendable Ear again. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he told her, shielding his face with his hands. "I'm gonna go upstairs and try to sleep too."

"Careful on your way up," George warned him. "You don't want to stumble up the stairs again."

Fred made a face at his twin before trying to lope up the stairs to prove George wrong. He only missed two steps, which he considered a personal victory.

Harper snatched up a pillow and it George with it before picking up another one to lay on. "When are your folks coming home?" she asked him sleepily, falling under the same spell as the others.

George shrugged as he tossed the pillow back at her face. "Sometime later today I think. I tend not to pay attention to details, and Mum is so easy to tune out."

Rolling her eyes at how horrible a son he was, she inched herself over so that there was room for him next to her, which was exactly how Arthur and Molly found them when they came home a few hours later.

"Molly?" Arthur asked. "This isn't how we left them, is it?"

Molly just shook her head. "Kids these days," was all she said on the matter, although secretly she was pleased as punch.

"Isn't this kind of inappropriate?" Arthur wanted to know.

Molly shushed him. "I knew they had a connection. Now let them connect." She shooed him into the kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't know someone was in here," Arthur said upon seeing Onyx sitting at the kitchen table staring into a cup of tea. She didn't move. He waved his hand in front of her face in an attempt to get her attention. Didn't seem to work. "Onyx dear, are you quite alright?"

"Hmm?" she said lifting her head.

"I think this is a job for a momma," Molly said once again shooing him out of the room. "Go tinker in your shed, love. I will call you when supper is ready!" She shut the door behind him and turned her attention on Onyx. "Now, what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Onyx covered, averting her eyes back to her tea.

Molly say down across from her, analyzing her face. "Clearly something did."

Onyx looked up for just a moment, her eyes rimmed in red. It was clear that she had been crying. Molly took her hand.

"You know you can tell me anything. No judgment here," she soothed.

Onyx held her breath and her bottom lip started to quiver. "I didn't want it to happen like this. My judgment was impaired, and he was on me and I couldn't stop."

Molly squeezed her hand. "Who are we talking about?"

She looked down again. "I slept with Cedric," she sobbed, immediately covering her mouth like she had divulged a national secret.

Molly instantly moved to her side and embraced her as Onyx sobbed into her sweater. "It's alright," she soothed stroking her hair.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not now. I shouldn't feel this way."

"Sometimes passions get the best of you. The number of kids I have is proof of that," Molly said in hopes of maybe getting a laugh out of Onyx.

She stiffened. "Kids. Oh my god, what if I get pregnant? Then I will really have to marry him!" she cried.

"No, no, no," Molly interrupted. "There is no chance of that."

"How can you be sure?"

She smiled. "There's a charm on the house. Do you really think I could afford more children?"

Onyx cracked a weak grin. "Perhaps not."

"He isn't still here, is he?" Molly looked around the room as if he were standing there the whole time unbeknownst to her.

Onyx just shook her head. "No, I kinda kicked him out when we woke up," she admitted sheepishly.

Molly nodded. "A wise choice. I probably would have done the same thing. In fact I probably have on more than one occasion."

Onyx blinked and looked at Molly in wonder. "Wait, really?"

With a sly grin, Molly just waved the comment away. "The past is the past," was all she said. "Point is, it's not the end of the world. Granted I had rather hoped it would be with somebody a little more…" she hesitated. "More," she concluded. "But what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't even know." With an anguished sigh, Onyx slumped against the table. "I don't want to think about it. I don't want to acknowledge it. I kind of just want to pretend it didn't happen."

Molly gave a curt nod. "Then do it. It probably won't get you too far but you can always try. There's never any harm in trying."

It wasn't the advice she expected, but Onyx took it nonetheless. Harper kept mum about the whole thing except for a few meaningful, questioning glances every once in awhile. Fred and George were woefully unawares that anything was going on. The only mention of it was when the kids were saying their good-byes to Molly and Arthur, about to leave for Hogwarts. Molly gave Onyx an extra long hug, whispering, "You know what you want, and you know what you need to do to get it. If it's not Cedric, then it's not Cedric."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Onyx said. "And thanks for everything else, too. It was really nice of you to let us stay at your house like that."

"Oh yes," Harper chimed in. "We really appreciate it."

"Girls, it was our pleasure!" Molly told them. "Any friends of Fred and George's are welcome in our house."

"Is that true, Mum?" Fred asked. "We can bring anybody over if they're our friends?"

"Fred, you don't have friends," Onyx told him. "We're it." She gestured between her and Harper.

"Thanks for reminding us," George muttered. Harper hit him in the arm.


	29. Chapter 29

The trip back to Hogwarts seemed to fly by. Onyx found herself dreading seeing the castle that laid just beyond the hills. She knew who was already there and she didn't want to see him. No matter how much she want to train to slow, it delivered all the students to the castle nonetheless. Onyx was slow to get up and Fred was sure to notice.

"You coming?" he asked offering her his hand.

She looked at it and then out the window.

He sat down next to her. "Are you alright? You've hardly spoken since New Years."

"I'm fine, Fred. Just not feeling all that well," she lied, but he seemed to buy it.

He looked at her with sympathy. "Well, if you're not feeling well, at least let me carry your bag," he offered picking up her bag.

She half smiled at him. "Thanks."

While one twin was worrying, the other was gloating. George had kicked opened the doors to the castle, towing Harper at his side. She was a bit concerned.

"George what are you doing?" she asked, growing wary of George's erratic behavior.

"You'll see," he winked at her. "Ladies and gentlemen," he called all the students in earshot's attention.

"Oh no," Harper breathed, attempting to pull away from him, but he held her tight.

"I would like you all to know that I HAVE FINALLY DONE IT!"

Harper nearly fainted at the connotations that could be running through all the student's heads. Their faces were a sure indication. The boys wolf-whistled and cheer as most of the girls just looked disgusted.

"I have finally won the heart of this elusive creature," George continued. "She's mine, so off limits." He grabbed her hand and foisted their entwined hands in the air.

A few students started chuckling.

"And what precisely is so funny?" George wanted to know.

Lee Jordan stepped up. "I've seen you pull some doozies before, but this one takes the cake. Nice prank, George. Too bad we all know that Harper hates you."

George for once was at a loss for words. "But, but, but," he stammered, "we are dating."

"Yeah sure," Lee said with a casual wave of the hand as he and the other students walked away."

"This I did not expect," he scratched his head.

Harper shrugged her shoulders, "at least Onyx and Fred believe us. They are really the only people that matter."

George stroked his chin, "I was hoping to make this public, but we can't if they think I'm pranking them."

She reached up and patted his cheek, "it's okay, in time they'll see."

"So much for our grand announcement."

"Yeah, about that. No kisses for you, you're on probation," Harper threatened as she headed up to the common room.

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa hang on there," George sputtered blocking her way up the stairs. "Excuse me, I am your boyfriend, you are obligated to kiss me whenever I see fit."

"Oh do I now?"

"As a matter of fact, you should kiss me right now," he puckered.

"Nope," Harper said pushing his face out of the way and running up the steps before he could react.

"Why not?" George whined.

"Because you embarrassed me. You have a lot of making up to do," she quipped from the top of the staircase.

George muttered something incoherent as he slowly trudged up the steps. As they neared the common room, they noticed a guy pacing back and forth in front of the portrait.

"Looks like Neville forgot the password again," George laughed to Harper. "Oi, Neville, you've been here long enough, don't you think you ought to tattoo the password to your wrist or something?"

"That would be effective if I was a Gryffindor," Cedric Diggory observed.

"Pretty Boy. What are you doing here? Come for a midnight snog with your lover?" George chortled.

"George," Harper quietly scolded, "I don't think you should be sticking your nose in this."

"It would be nice, but considering she hasn't spoken to me since New Years, that's not likely," Cedric pointed out.

"What did you do? Be too pretty?" George joked.

"Will you just let me inside?" Cedric sighed.

"I don't think that's the best idea," Harper intervened.

"And why not? She's my girlfriend, I have a right to see her," Cedric stood firm.

"And she has a right not to see you if she doesn't want to," Harper folded her arms across her chest.

"She doesn't want to see me?" Cedric asked looking hurt.

"Clearly," Harper rolled her eyes. "Come on, George," she said taking his arm and marching through the portrait making sure to shut it securely behind her.

"What was that all about?" George wanted to know.

"You wouldn't understand. I'm going to go see if she's here," Harper said kissing him on the cheek before scurrying up to her room.

She found Onyx unpacking with Fred attentively sitting on her bed, keeping her company.

"Did you see him?" Harper asked hesitantly.

She nodded.

"He tried to talk to her," Fred answered. "I made sure he couldn't."

Harper smiled at him.

"I still don't get why you're so mad at him. What did he do?" he shot the question at Onyx.

"He's just being stupid," Onyx sighed. She paused for a moment, "I should hear him out."

"What?!" Harper shrieked, "I thought you never wanted to speak to him again!"

"I really should hear what he has to say," she moved for the door.

"Wait," Fred caught her arm gently, "I don't want you to go. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

She looked at him. His face was so caring and concerned, a look she rarely saw from Cedric. She couldn't be thinking about this now.

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

"Really Onyx, I think you should stay here. With me. Let's go do something or just stay in. You can talk to me about anything you know," Fred pleaded.

She bit her lip. She knew she could talk to Fred about anything, but telling him she slept with Cedric in Fred's bed would have disastrous effects. Moving his hand off her arm she sighed, "I know Fred, but this mess has to be cleaned up." She cast a wary glance in Harper's direction before leaving the room.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I hate seeing her like this," Fred said running his hands through his hair.

"You and me both," Harper commented.

Cedric was still pacing the hallway when the portrait swung open. He was stunned to see Onyx walking towards him.

"Onyx, I am so glad you changed your mind," he grinned, sweeping her up in his arms.

She pushed against his chest freeing her of his arms.

"What's wrong? Please tell me what I did so I can apologize."

She looked stunned, "you need me to tell you?"

"The specifics yes," he hastened, "but I have been a jerk and I am sorry."

"Yeah, no kidding," Onyx scoffed.

Cedric looked at her and then to her hand. He gently picked it up and put the promise ring in light. "You remember this?"

Onyx nodded, but inwardly gagged.

"I'm far from perfect, but I love you. Please forgive me for being so crass."

Onyx thought it over. His eyes pleaded with her. In a desperate attempt to get back on her good graces, he deftly kissed the back of her hand that he still held.

"Please," he begged.

She sighed, "But I am still not happy with you."

"And that's okay. I know a few ways to make you happy," he winked at her as he stooped to kiss her lips.

She stopped him before he could.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I don't really want to be kissed right now," she said lowly.

He put his hands on his hips. "So I take it you don't want to join me for dinner then."

"Not tonight."

He ran his hand over his face. "So when am I allowed to see you?"

She thought it over. "Ced, I honestly need a little time."

"So tomorrow?" he asked.

She pursed her lips. "Is Friday too long?"

Cedric looked like he was about to fly off the handle. "You know, if that's how long you need, please take the time. I can wait."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said glumly while he shuffled his feet. "So what now? Am I not allowed to talk to you until Friday?"

"You can still talk to me. Just don't smother me."

Cedric took a step back. "You think I smother you?"

She chose her words carefully. "You can at times. I just need a little breathing room to sort a few things out. Think of this as a time to clear the air."

He stayed quiet.

"I know this isn't what you want, but I think it will do us some good."

He still said nothing. After what had seemed like an hour he said, "I can't believe you think I smother you."

"It's not all the time, Ced," Onyx countered. "It's just sometimes when you're around all time, I don't have a chance just to be me."

"If you wanted me to leave you alone, you could have just said so," Ced fumed as he started to leave.

Onyx followed, "This is why I didn't tell you."

He turned around. "Why? Because you knew it would upset me? That I'd overreact?"

"Yes. Cedric, I'm not saying this to be mean, it just needed to be aired."

"How long have you been feeling like this?" he wanted to know.

"Since November."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't know how to tell you without something like this happening."

"I just don't want anything to happen with us. I love you," he said in almost whispered.

She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know. But some things just need to be said."

"It's just poor timing."

"Waiting would have made it worse," she said letting go of him.

He shrugged. "So I will talk with you in Advanced Potions?"

"Sure thing."

"Goodnight, I love you," he said as he turned to leave.

"Night," she called after him. As soon as he was out of sight, she hurried back into the common room.

"That didn't sound too good," Fred said.

"Please tell me you weren't eavesdropping," Onyx sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Of course not," he smiled, "Pretty Boy is just loud when he's angry."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Come here," he laughed, pulling her into her arms. "It'll all work out for the best."

She smiled for the first time since coming to Hogwarts. "You're the best, Fred."

"Tell me something I don't know," he smirked. "Want to do something to take your mind off things?"

"Nah, I appreciate it, but I really just want to go to bed."

"Alright," Fred said reluctantly letting go over her, "go get some rest. Looks like you could use some."

"Thanks, Fred."

She ran up the steps to her room.

Fred turned to go sit back down on the couch, but unfortunately for him, George and Harper had taken up the whole thing and were caught in a snog.

Fred rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair next to the fire. George's twin telepathy must have tingled, because he lifted his head at that second.

"Was anyone watching?" George asked, slightly panting.

"Why would you want anyone to watch in the first place?" Fred pried. "Eating Harper's face off isn't very good entertainment."

"Hey," George scolded, point a finger at Fred. "I'm the only one who can poke fun at my girlfriend. Observe." George poked Harper in the side. She squealed.

"This is not fun!" she laughed.

"For me it is," he chuckled. "Poke!"

"Quit it!" she tried containing his hands, he easily overpowered her and kissed her on the nose.

"But really, no one stopped and gawked?" George asked again.

"No, no one wants to watch your escapades. Why do you even care?" Fred asked, tiring of the subject.

"People think this is a prank," Harper clarified, "they think we are pulling their legs."

"That would be a lot of legs to pull," George surmised, "Hogwarts has more students than ever."

Harper poked him in the side. "You're a brat."

"Hey!" he jumped. "Looks like I'm going to have to continue proving that we are dating."

"Heaven forbid," Harper sighed.

"Oh shut it, you love it," George teased, kissing her lips lightly.

"Maybe I do," she laughed ruffling his hair.

"On that note, I think I'm going to turn in," Fred said heading towards the stairs.

"You go do that," George said, picking up where he and Harper last snogged off.

Fred trotted up the sets and lay down on his bed in a huff. Why hadn't Onyx broken up with Cedric? Didn't she want to be free of him? It made no sense. Girls made no sense. Why didn't they make sense? It was thoughts like these that kept him up that night, while the object of his affection was still awake wondering why things were so complicated. Needless to say, neither of them were bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning.

"Wow," George exclaimed to Fred the next morning. "You look like you spent the night with the giant squid."

They were sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast, but as soon as they saw the way Fred looked, forks were frozen midair.

"What are you talking about?" Fred yawned, sitting down in a slump and grabbing for some toast.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Harper asked with concern. "You look awful. Like a vampire. Or a zombie."

Onyx snorted into her scrambled eggs.

Fred glanced at her. "You should snort," he snorted. "You don't exactly look very human yourself."

"Just call me queen of the zombies," she said airily, taking another bite of her eggs.

"That's right, you own it," teased Harper. "But seriously, you don't look all that great either."

"Were you guys staying with the giant squid together?" George asked without thinking about it. Fred gave him a strange look. George covered his mouth. "You, you two didn't! You spent the night together I knew it!"

Fred rolled his eyes, "George, you would have known about it since we share a room."

"You could have spent the night in her room!" George pointed out.

"Then Harper would have known about it," Fred sighed.

"I just didn't get enough sleep," Onyx tried to explain. "And by that I mean I didn't get any at all."

"Me neither," added Fred.

"Up late together, were we?" George raised his eyebrows. Harper nudged him with her elbow.

"Really, do you ever use your filter?" she reprimanded.

"What filter?" Onyx and Fred scoffed at the same time. Fred looked at her, expecting to share a significant glance, but Onyx was already back to her scrambled eggs. He looked to the others and caught Harper looking at him sympathetically.

It was a look that she threw his way rather often in the next few days. Anytime Cedric was mentioned, or he tried to cheer Onyx up, or George made a careless statement, or anything even remotely unfortunate happened, Harper was there with a face full of sympathy. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, her acknowledging the pain he was going through and what exactly Onyx was doing to him. But at the same time, it helped to know that at least **somebody** was on his side, even if it was the wrong girl and she happened to be dating his twin. Aside from that, he appreciated the sentiment. However, waiting for Friday was no fun for anybody in the group that week. Onyx found herself dreading it, a fact that made the whole situation that much worse; Harper found herself walking on eggshells, trying not to mention the name "Cedric" and hitting the twins anytime they didn't follow suit; Fred couldn't bear watching Onyx in dread and therefore was in a dour mood; George just found them all a great bore.

Finally Friday had rolled around.

"Now, after you have a nice snog with Pretty Boy, are you going to stop being such a bore?" George asked as Onyx walked into the common room.

"I have no intentions of snogging him thank you," Onyx said curtly.

"Nice to see you have some of your sass back," George joked, punching her lightly in the arm.

"George lay off," Harper said whacking him in the chest.

"Hey, now is that the way to treat the man who is about to take you on the most romantic date of your life?" George questioned.

"Wait, what?" Harper stammered, taken aback.

"You. Me. Date. Tonight. Leaving. Ten minutes." George spelled out for her.

"Really?" Harper brightened and swooned. "I gotta go get ready!" She dashed up the stairs.

"I don't think I've ever seen her this excited," Fred surmised, glancing at his twin.

George rolled up his sleeves, "well my brother, even Harper is defenseless against my charm," he winked.

Fred turned to see Onyx walking out of the portrait.

"Hey, if you need an interruption, you can always send an owl," Fred offered.

She smiled and shook her head as she turned to leave.

Cedric was leaning up against the wall as she walked into the hallway.

"Hi," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hello."

"So, uh, are you hungry?"

"A drink would be nice," she answered.

"Sounds good to me," he reached out his hand.

She tentatively took it. A smile warmed his lips as they made their way to The Three Broomsticks.

"It's nice to see you after not really spending time with you all week," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Get some good thinking in?"

"Mhmm. It was nice to have some time to think."

"Do I want to hear the verdict?"

Hah, no. Onyx thought. "You're on a case by case basis."

"Meaning?" he pressed.

"We're just going to have to see how things work for awhile."

"As long as I get to spend time with you, I'm not going to complain," he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"As you should." She wanted to squirm away from him, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

When they got to The Three Broomsticks, Cedric was ever the gentleman, opened the door, pulled out her chair, and even knew what she wanted to order. However, Onyx found the conversation to be mundane, it seemed as if there was nothing for them to talk about anymore that was fresh and vibrant. She politely listened as he prattled on about idle gossip that had been floating around since the start of term.

"So I hear Harper and Weasley are dating now," he said amid swigs of his butterbeer.

"Yeah, started on New Years actually."

He laughed. "I thought she hated him."

"Sometimes animosity is a mask for passion," she said causally.

"So you must love me a lot then," Cedric joked.

Onyx was unenthused.

"Sorry, that was callous of me," he took her hand. "I'm sorry for everything. I haven't been a very understanding boyfriend."

She stared at him.

"I love you, and I am sorry if you felt pressured in any way to, you know."

Her face flushed.

"You're adorable when you blush," Cedric cracked her a wry grin. "Excuse me for just a moment," he said getting up and walking away from the table.

Onyx relished the silence until she overheard an unpleasant conversation.

"Was that Diggory that just walked by?" Dean Thomas asked.

"Yeah," Rodger Davies answered. "Lucky dog."

"What makes you say that?"

"You haven't heard?"

Dean shook his head.

"Wow, where have you been? Didn't you hear that he banged Onyx over Christmas?"

Dean sounded taken aback, "what really? Onyx the Gryffindor?"

"Yeah, she's the one he's been seeing since the start of fall term."

"How did it get out? Doesn't Diggory usually keep to himself?"

"Usually, but he's been bragging. The whole school knows. Apparently she was a good lay."

Onyx was utterly appalled. Just then, Cedric walked back to the table. He kissed her on the cheek as he walked by.

"So, what's next babe?" he wanted to know.

Apparently, it was getting a drink thrown in his face as Onyx stormed out of The Three Broomsticks.

Cedric was taken aback. "What did I do?" He quickly left money on the table and followed her out.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Author's Note: **__AndTheSnakesStartToSing, the language is allowed! It's infuriating is it not? And George and Harper are beyond adorbable- it's sickening to write them sometimes. IKhandoZatman, he completely effed it all up. HattieTheGreat, so good you are hooked! Cedric 100% deserves to be shanked with knitting needles, total tosspot [by the way, we absolutely love that term]. Upon rereading this we squealed at their first kiss. You'll see soon if Onyx comes around. Carry on._

"The shrieking shack?" Harper asked astounded.

"Well, naturally. They don't call it the shrieking shack for nothing." George stood in front of the decrepit building, arms crossed over his chest as Harper stared ahead blankly.

"But it's haunted."

"Yeah, with memories," he said. "Stop worrying, it's not actually haunted. That was a story they started to cover up for Lupin. It's perfectly unhaunted in there. C'mon, let's go." He reached for her hand and started up the path but she held fast and he was yanked backwards. "What's the matter?"

She looked at him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's the Shrieking Shack."

"Uh, yeah," he said. "I know."

"But why the Shrieking Shack?"

"Cos it's the Shrieking Shack?" He frowned. "Wait a second, are you afraid of the dark?"

She tried to hide a smile. "No," she assured him. "It just seems like an odd place for a date is all."

"Why Harper," he said, sounding highly affronted. "Are you saying that you don't trust me?"

"Yes, actually," she answered. "That is exactly what I'm saying."

"This relationship isn't going to go anywhere if there's no trust here," he told her matter-of-factly. "You either need to trust me, or walk away right now." He stood tall, as if challenging her to do just that.

She bit her lip, and for a second he was sure that she would just shrug and follow him up the path, but instead she turned around and simply started walking away.

He blinked. "Wait, Harper," he called. "Harps, where are you going? You were supposed to come **this **way, not go that way. I was kidding. Wait, why are you still walking?" Two seconds later he had caught up to her. "We really need to get you some pranking lessons. I'll teach you the fine art of distinguishing between joking and scaring people into thinking you don't want to date them."

"You are so bloody gullible, George Weasley," she told him, taking his hand and turning around. "We really need to teach you some pranking lessons."

While not happy at how the tables had turned, George was quite relieved that she hadn't actually wanted to walk away. It rather worried him, how scared he had been in those eight seconds. He got over it real fast as they walked into the Shrieking Shack, however. Then his inner adventurer kicked in.

"Alright," he said, sounding a little bit like a general giving orders. "First we should scope out the perimeter, then we should check out the upstairs. After that I vote we play the rest by ear." He turned to her. "Sound good?"

"Wait, do you mean to say that we're just going to explore around a haunted house by ourselves?" She didn't sound too convinced that it was a good idea.

"Pretty much," was all he answered.

Shrugging, she gestured towards the rest of the house. "Alrighty then, lead the way."

As if he had been waiting for her to say just that, he grabbed her hand and ran into the next room. It appeared to have been the dining room, even though years of neglect left a meal of dust on what was left of the table.

"Lupin sure did a number on this place, didn't he," George commented, glancing about the room before moving on.

"Well it's not like he had any choice," Harper said thoughtfully as they walked through what used to be the kitchen. "It was either tear this place apart each month or go kill people. And that option wouldn't have ended well for anybody." Now they were in a laundry room, which bored George so quickly that he literally stuck his head in the doorway and then lead Harper in the opposite direction. Five minutes had past when he decided that they should venture upstairs. That was when Harper stopped in her tracks.

"George," she said, sounding like she was trying to be quiet without sounding like she was trying to be quiet. "George, there are footprints." She pointed to the floor in front of the stairs and sure enough there appeared to be three sets of footprints leading up and down the stairwell. Harper glanced at him.

"Well that can't be good." George knelt down to get a better look. "They look somewhat fresh too."

"Fresh?" Harper repeated in a hushed tone. "As in, new? Like they could have been made five minutes ago?" She took an involuntary glance about the room.

"Hmm, this is a bit strange," he commented surreptitiously. "Let's follow them."

"What?!" Harper shrieked.

George covered her mouth as he pulled her into a nearby room. He gently pushed her up against the wall. "Do you want whatever's in here to hear us?"

She shook her head violently.

George removed his hand and kissed her fully on the mouth. He softly nibbled on her bottom lip.

"What are you doing?!" she whispered, her lips still pressed to his.

"Lumos," he mumbled.

At his command, the whole tiny room was lit up with millions of twinkly lights. Harper's mouth fell open, giving George the perfect opportunity to add a little French to their kiss.

"What?" was all Harper was able to say as George pulled away from her.

"The footprints are mine, babe. I've been in and out of here all day. Since it's our first official date, I figured we needed to start things out with a bang. Not a literal bang, since you're a prude and all, but I just wanted this moment to be memorable."

"You did all of this?" Harper asked slowly coming out of her shock.

"All of it, for you," George sent a sultry wink in her direction.

"George, I don't even know what to say."

"How about yes to some dinner?"

She nodded as he led her over to a small table nestled in the corner of the room by the huge window that overlooked Hogsmead. The small town was all lit up and seemed to shimmer in the distance.

George scooped some pasta onto a plate and handed it to Harper.

"Did you cook this?" she wanted to know.

"I might have. A bit," he grinned at her.

"When did you get so thoughtful?"

George thought for a moment. "Once I snagged myself the most wonderful girl in the world." He paused. "You really are the best, you know."

Harper was close to tears. "I didn't know you thought that."

"How could I not?" George laughed. "Have you seen how awesome you are today or everyday?"

"George, you're making me cry -" she began to say but was cut off mid sentence with his lips.

"You talk too much. Now shut your lips and eat your food."

They grinned at each other as they both dug into their pasta.

While Harper and George were having a wonderful time, Onyx was furiously storming back to Hogwarts. Cedric was desperately trying to catch up.

"Onyx!" he called after her.

She didn't turn around. As she was just about to grab the handles on the front doors on the castle when Cedric apparated up between her and the door.

"CEDRIC!" she shrieked as she punched him in the chest.

"Ow!" he wailed, rubbing his sore pectoral. "What was that for?"

"You scared me!"

"Well, threw a drink in my face and ran away from me. What's wrong?"

"You should know," she snapped, pushing him out of the way and entering the castle.

"What did I do?" he pressed, following close behind her.

"What did you do? Really Cedric? Really?" she asked angrily, her hands settling on her hips.

"I thought things were going really well," he offered.

"Clearly they aren't," she turned and started going up the steps.

Cedric was quick and caught her arm.

"Let me go, you pig," she spat, prying his fingers off her arm, but they held firm.

"Pig? Onyx, I'm hardly a pig," he tried to joke.

"Telling everyone that you had sex with me is not piggish behavior?" she harshly questioned. "That I'm a good lay?"

Cedric's face fell.

"WHAT, what, what were you thinking?!" she shrieked. "Now the whole school knows. Everyone is going to think I'm a trollop."

"I'm sure that's hardly what they'll think," Cedric tried to reason.

"NO! It's exactly what they'll think. It's easy for you. Banging a girl makes you the big man on campus, it makes me an easy, common whore."

Cedric didn't know what to say. "I didn't think it would get around that fast."

"Clearly!" Onyx sighed exasperatedly. "You don't think. EVER. You tell the whole school about having sex that I didn't even want to have, you practically propose to me, Cedric, do you even know me or what I want at all?!"

He frowned, "I thought you loved me."

"Don't pull that with me. I loved you Cedric, but things aren't working anymore."

"Are you saying you don't love me?"

"Not like that I don't. I care about you, I'm sorry that's not what you want to hear."

"My mother was right," he added snidely. "You aren't up to my standards, she was right that you aren't good enough for me. You'll never be." He paused before adding, "I have more people who care about me than just Weasley. He'll flake on you and you'll end up alone."

Onyx was shocked that he pulled that card. It was a malicious move. She walked down a couple steps to where he was. That comment really stung; her eyes began to water. "We're done," she said venomously. "Here." She took the ring off her finger and put it in his palm and walked back up the stairs.

"Go on, go cry to Weasley and let him nurse your wounds," he yelled after her.

Onyx froze. He had struck yet another nerve. He had no right bringing Fred into this. And so what if Fred comforted her? He was a greater comfort and friend than Cedric ever was. She didn't even bother turning back around. "At least he cares about me as a person, and not how good I look on his arm."

Cedric stormed away at that, leaving Onyx to hurry up the stairs in peace. She was crying, though she really didn't know why.

Fred sat up as he heard the portrait open. His heart nearly broke when he saw his beloved crying. He was quick to jump into motion.

"Come here," he called, opening his arms wide.

She ran over to him and buried her face in his chest.

He rubbed her back soothingly. "What happened?"

"I broke up with Cedric," she sniffled.

Fred's heart lurched. She was fair game now. But he couldn't be thinking like that while she was hurting. "Then why are you crying?"

"He told me I wasn't good enough for him," her voice choked.

"Oh Onyx." He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "If only you knew how too good for him you are."

Onyx cries subsided a bit. Fred led them over to the couch and lay down, cradling Onyx against his chest.

"It'll be alright. You'll see. At least you still have me," Fred offered.

She looked into his eyes. Her heart warmed; he was always so caring. He was more present in this second that Cedric was their entire relationship. She had to wonder, was it true what Cedric had said? Did Fred really care for her in a more than friendly way? She shook the thoughts from her head; now wasn't the time for such thoughts.

Fred furrowed his brow. "You ok?"

"So so. But at least I have you," she weakly smiled resting her head against his chest.

They stayed like that for some time. The fire had died down in the fireplace and Onyx had fallen asleep. Fred had drifted in and out of sleep, keeping a close eye on Onyx's sleeping form. He adored having her so close.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Author's Note: **__AndTheSnakesStartToSing, Fred better get his rear in gear, yeah? George and Harper are getting pretty schmaltzy; just you wait, it gets worse! P.S. thanks for the follows! You're a gem darling! General note: we got a little ahead of ourselves, so we had to back track a bit. Chapter 30 has been chopped up a bit and we added the new piece to this chapter. Sorry for any confusion. Carry on._

Hogwarts was abuzz with the news of the breakup. People Onyx didn't even know existed were wanting all the juicy gossip. Thank Merlin she had Fred and George around. They had a field day setting off firecrackers and Catherine's Wheels for those students who got too close.

"I don't understand why everyone cares about my personal business all of a sudden," Onyx sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Gossips will be gossips," Harper mused. "People love dirt."

"Always the wise sage," George commented, wrapping his arm around Harper's shoulders.

"It will pass soon as soon as some other scandal surfaces," Fred offered hopefully.

"Or…" George began, "we could create one!"

Harper sighed. Any scandal George was behind often ended with an explosion of sorts. "I don't think that would be wise."

"Oh come on spoil sport. I was thinking you and I could create a scandal of our own," George soothed seductively in her ear.

"No, no, definitely not," Harper shrieked shoving his arm off. "I will see you in class if you behave," she called over her shoulder as she scurried off to class.

"Mmmm," George growled. "That's my woman." He jumped in the chase after her, leaving Fred and Onyx alone.

"So how are you holding up?" Fred asked her softly.

Onyx met his gaze. He could see the sadness in her eyes.

"As well as can be expected," she sighed. "I don't necessairly miss him, but I miss aspects of having a relationship."

Fred tilted his head to the side. "Give me an example."

She sighed again. "You're going to laugh."

"I swear on George's life I won't," Fred drew an "X" over his heart.

"I miss the things he used to say to me. Holding his hands. Little things like that."

"Well here. Let me help," Fred grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with his. "You're beautiful. Hella gorgeous. Hotter than fire whiskey. I honestly can't image my life without you."

Onyx had to laugh. Fred always knew how to lift her spirits.

Fred noticed a shy blush glaze across her cheeks. He had meant every word he said. Merlin, this could be his chance, he wasn't going to miss it again.

They neared the charms room, Fred noticed Onyx bristle.

"You know," Fred started. I'm not feeling much like having class today. "Want to skip?"

"Skip class?"

"Why not? Harper takes good notes."

Onyx mulled it over, "We better have a good excuse."

Fred grinned. "I've got the perfect idea."

George and Harper say quietly in class. Well not for long. The entire class looked up as loud a loud thud followed by hurried footsteps erupted from the hall.

"Professor Flitwick!" a voice shouted from the hall. "Onyx, she just fainted.," Fred hastened breathlessly appearing in the doorway, limp Onyx in his arms.

"Is she alright?" Professor Flitwick asked concernedly walking over to the pair.

"I don't know! I'm going to take her to Madam Pomfrey."

"Can you manage on your own?" he asked. "Diggory, go with them."

Cedric sighed from his position in the corner. He was assisting Flitwick with his lectures and the last thing he wanted to be doing was assisting his ex and her newest lover with anything.

Before Cedric could even stand, Fred explained, "she's light as a feather. I can manage. Thanks!" He took off running down the hall.

"Please tell me that was a prank," Harper whispered to George.

"If it is, ten points to Fred," George remarked in awe. "Well done Freddie. Well done indeed."

"I will never understand you two," Harper shook her head.

Fred bypassed Madam Pomfrey's and carried Onyx all the way to Gryffindor Tower.

"You're brilliant, you know,"Fred laughed as he set Onyx on her feet in the common room.

"Well I did learn from the best."

Fred cracked a wry smile. "So," he mused, "what shall we do with our stolen time?"

"Hmm…" Onyx mulled it over. "How about a hike? I could use some fresh air."

"Sounds good to me. I'm going to go change," Fred called to her as he ran up the stairs.

Onyx followed suit.

As soon as they were bundled, they headed for the woods. Onyx was grateful for the distraction. She definitely needed to get her mind of things. Specifically Cedric. Cedric. That thought brought something to her attention.

"Wait a second," she said suddenly, halting walking.

"What?" Fred asked full of concern, jogging back over to her.

"Is he the reason you wanted to skip Charms?"

"Very astute," Fred smirked.

"Why?"

Fred shrugged, "I figured you wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with him."

It was true. Onyx had every intention of avoiding Cedric at all costs. The fact that Fred preemptively saw that had her stunned. "How do you always seem to know things like this?"

"I pay attention to the things I care about," he said motioning her to follow him.

She had a soft spot for that redhead. In fact, that's been there for a while. Fred was always kind. Never demanding. They did silly things like this. They were really better matched than she and Cedric had been.

Maybe Mrs. Weasley was right. Maybe there was a connection.

"Whoa!" Fred suddenly shouted, his arms shooting around her waist. "You almost walked into a tree! Are you alright?"

Onyx laughed at her ridiculousness. "Yes, I'm fine. Apparently I'm no good at walking."

"No apparently not," Fred laughed in turn.

"You didn't hit your head did you?" He moved his fingers gently across her face checking for any damage. "Looks good to me."

A smile found its way to her lips. At Fred's touch, her heart was fluttering. This wasn't normal. But yet she couldn't help but feel more loved in this minute than she had in her entire relationship with Cedric.

Fred's hand slid down her cheek to her chin, gently tilting her gaze up. He smiled warmly at her.

"What?" she asked shyly.

"I'm care about you, you know."

She did know this. Though how did he care for her was still the unanswered question. "I know you do," she grinned up at him.

"Yeah, I'm not one for discretion," he chuckled.

"It's good to know you care," she pointed out, resting her hand on his. She stood on her tip toes and gently brushed her lips against his cheek.

Fred's face reddened and Onyx laughed quietly.

"You did that on purpose," he accused, ruffling her hair and loosening his grip on her.

"You liked it," she teased.

"Well, pssh," Fred exhaled. "You missed anyways."

"What do you mean?" Onyx asked from a few paces ahead of him.

"You were supposed to kiss me here." He gently caught her arm and brought her back towards him. As his lips neared her, a snowball hit him square in the jaw.

"You bloody brilliant git!" George hollered. "I can't believe your ruddy mind came up with a stunt like that!" He jumped on Fred, throwing him in a headlock and knuckling his head.

Fred shot Onyx a disgruntled look. She covered a laugh with her hand as the brothers fell into the snow tussling.

Harper wasn't far behind. "You really didn't faint did you?" she asked Onyx concernedly.

"No, I'm one hundred percent fine," Onyx giggled.

"You do look a little flush," Harper observed.

Onyx hesitated. "That is for other reasons."

Their conversation was interrupted as George flopped at their feet.

"Way to ruin a moment, George," Fred hissed as he stood, brushing the snow off his pants.

"You were… with her? NO!" George gaped.

"He likes you, you now," George commented from his prostrate position. He received a swift kick in the side from Fred.

"I know, he told me,"Onyx said simply with a shrug of the shoulders.

"HE WHAT?!" George and Harper sputtered looking over to Fred.

"He told me he cared for me. What's the big deal? I already knew that," she placed her hands on her hips.

Harper's face fell a bit. He still hadn't told her. She shot Fred a knowing glance. He blushed and looked at his feet.

"But Fred-" George began as he stood prior to receiving an elbow to the gut compliments of Harper sending him back into the snow.

"If you two are done writhing around in the snow, how about the Three Broomsticks?"

"I'm game," George said with a groan, finally coming to his feet. "A butterbeer would suit me fine."

He and Harper ran off in the direction of Hogsmead.

"Those two are odd birds," Onyx snorted.

"Yes, completely mental," Fred agreed.

He watched Onyx as she trotted ahead of him. He mentally kicked himself for not coming clean with her. He had the perfect opportunity to express his feelings and he completely missed it. Or had he.

"Come on, Fred," she called to her, her dark hair whipping about in the wintry winds.

"Onyx," he began.

"Is this about the near kiss that George interrupted?" Onyx smirked.

Fred hesitated at her bluntness. "Well yes but-"

Onyx waved her hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it, Fred. It's alright."

He strode over to her. "Just listen for a second," he laughed.

She fell in stride with him.

"I'm crazy about you," he said in a near whisper.

Finally, it was out. Onyx's steps didn't even falter; she had been hoping Fred would tell her his true feelings.

Sensing her silence next to him Fred continued, "I have been for a while now. I know you just ended things with Cedric, so I'm not expecting you to say anything in return. I just wanted you to know."

Her hand found his and squeezed gently. Fred smiled at her touch.

"If it's any consolation, I'm quite fond of you as well," she quipped softly.

Never had she seen Fred's face light up as much as it did in that instant.

After the Three Broomsticks, the four decided to call it a night as curfew was quickly approaching. The girls bid the boys a goodnight and scurried up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Harper questioned Onyx as soon as they got to their dorm.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You and Fred. You were making eyes at each other all night," Harper said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe. "So?" she prodded, hopping on her bed and crossing her legs eagerly.

"He told me he's crazy about me," she muttered under her breath as she turned her attention to a basket of laundry at the foot of her bed.

"He's only been crazy about you forever," Harper squealed in delight.

"I don't know if I'm quite ready for any professions of love. I'm just feeling it out," she shrugged folding a sweater and tossing it in her trunk.

"I'm sure there's going to be a lot more than feeling going on."

"Harper!" she dropped the dress she was folding to the floor.

"You're spending entirely too much time with George," she said picking up the dress she dropped. She paused and smiled at the garment. It was the dress Fred had picked for her for their New Years soiree. She smiled remembering the horrid fashion show she and Harper endured. Her smiled instantly fleet remembering what happened on New Years with Cedric. She didn't know how, but she was thankful Fred hadn't caught wind of that disaster.

Harper rolled her eyes. "Stop changing the subject."

Onyx sighed, "you're making a big deal of nothing."

"It's you and Fred. It is a big deal," she pointed out. "He really cares about you."

"I know he does," she stated resuming her folding.

"How do you feel about him?" Harper asked after minutes of silence.

Onyx paused, "I've had feelings for him since Christmas. I mean, I've always cared for him. But this is different."

"Even though you were with Cedric?"

She nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I felt guilty. Cedric was pushing the forever card and I could never picture myself with him forever. Fred was there. He was a better confidant, a far fairer friend. Naturally, I felt something for him. I just couldn't act on it."

"Is that why you were so upset after New Years?"

Onyx nodded again, wishing to never speak of the incident again.

"So aren't you even excited in the slightest at Fred's profession?"

"I don't want to jump into anything. This entire breakup with Cedric has really been painful and I'm not about to rush into anything, even if it's with Fred."

"That is probably smart."

"Don't get me wrong, I am excited," Onyx smiled finishing up her folding. "He's pretty wonderful." She flopped down on her bed. "I've never felt this way about Cedric." A silly grin graced her face.

"The connection," Harper sang.

"Shut it, Mrs. Weasley."

"So details," George pressed.

"I'm not saying anything."

George crossed his arms. "That's okay, I'll get it out of Harper later." He lay down on his bed. "You just better be happy."

Fred smiled. "I am. Very."

"Did you at least kiss her yet?" George wanted to know.

"No," Fred sighed, "you kindly interrupted that."

"Sorry mate, I didn't mean to," George smirked.

Fred glared at him.

"Oh well. I kissed her first anyway."

"That's it," Fred jumped on top of his brother, tussling him to the ground.

"You must really want to kiss her," George surmised.

"You think?!" Fred yelled, pinning him to the ground.

"Yeah, but I still kissed her first."

The pummeling then began. Shout reverberated through the tower. Oliver heard the shouting an came in to investigate.

"Oy! Would you two quit killing each other?" he reprimanded.

George had Fred's ear in his teeth and Fred had George in a choke hold.

"Let go and go to bed," Oliver scolded.

"Fine," the harrumphed in unison letting go of each other. They stood and dusted themselves off.

"But I still kissed her first," George taunted.

Fred saw fit to keep Onyx company at every opportunity after that. He wanted to ensure that she was happy and that a frown never tainted her lips.

Onyx welcomed his company. She had Fred had always been close, and now that the cat was out of the bag in regards to Fred's feelings, things were very different.

"You seem to be in a good mood for someone who just dumped the It Boy of Hogwarts," Harper joked.

Onyx's mouth fell open. "George is clearly rubbing off on you," she laughed as they walked through the hallway.

"Too bad she won't let me rub her off or vice versa," George goaded, sneaking up behind Harper. He snaked his arms around her waist and swung her around.

"George Weasley!" she shrieked. "You are highly inappropriate."

Onyx rolled her eyes. He was always that way; it was sickeningly adorable.

The school finally believed the two were dating. It could have been that they were inseparable, or that they snogged any spare moment, but moreover the fact that George had found a new pranking partner in Harper. Their most recent escapade consisted of sneaking into the prefects bathroom and filling the shower heads with coloring powder. Needless to say, a few prefects were still milling about with various shades of neon hair.

Onyx shook her head at the thought, still having trouble believing that her friend had pulled a prank. Well, she was dating a Weasley twin.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!" George jabbed her in the side.

Onyx jumped. "Geez George," she rubbed her sore side. "That's going to bruise."

"Well maybe you should pay attention when I'm speaking. I have lots of very important things to say." George folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm sure," Onyx rolled her eyes. "What was it that you were saying?"

"Were you even listening? What does my twin see in you? You are hardly as attentive as he says you are," he harrumphed.

"What about Fred?" Onyx's ears perked up at the mention of his name.

George cracked a wry grin. "Got the hots for him, eh? I always knew you liked him more than ol' Pretty Boy."

Onyx again rolled her eyes, this time at the mention of her ex. She was making a conscious effort to avoid him at all costs. Often, she caught him staring at her from across the room or intentionally crossing her path trying to coax a response from her. She never gave him the satisfaction. All she wanted was to move on. Spending time with Fred had more than helped with that.

"She must be thinking about snogging him," George said to Harper.

"I am not," Onyx clarified, George once again breaking her revery.

"He definitely thinks about snogging you," George commented.

"He does not," Onyx stopped walking,

"Mhmm. Ask him. Or better yet, walk up to him and give him a good snog."

"George!" Harper swatted him. "What he is trying to purvey in a round about way is what's going on with Fred?"  
"Nothing. We're simply friends spending time together," Onyx shrugged.

"Copious amounts of time together," George quipped "There's been rumors."

"Rumors of what?" Onyx pressed.

"That you and Fred together. Like are shaking up together," George finished, tossing an arm around Harper's shoulders.

"Really?" Onyx grinned.

"Yes really. That's what I just said," he scoffed with a laugh. "She's a bit touched in the head isn't she?"

"You don't mind the rumor?" Harper said with a knowing smile.

"Not terribly. It could be worse. Like shaking up with Malfoy or I went crawling back to Cedric, begging on my knees for him to take me back."

"Pretty Boy would like you on your knees I'm sure," George guffawed.

Harper shot him a look that could kill.

"I'd much rather have people talk about me moving on," Onyx continued.

A throat was cleared to her right. "Glad to see you care so little for my feelings in all this," Cedric hissed at her in passing.

Onyx did not respond and quickly brushed past him.

"Hope you're happy with your newest lover," he shouted after her with venom.

"He's really let himself go," George tsked.

Onyx tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, yes he has."

"So anyways, when are you asking Fred out?" George asked changing the subject.

"I wasn't planning on it," she laughed.

"What?! Are you just going to pine then?"

"Yes of course," she said sarcastically.

"He'd say yes if you asked, just so you know," he elbowed her knowingly.

"I'm not going to ask George."

"If he asked, would you say yes?"

"I'd consider it," she said aloofly.

"Don't you like him?"

"Of course, he's one of my dearest friends," Onyx answered, dancing around the subject.

"Woman, you are infuriating!" George threw up his hands and stalked up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower in a huff leaving the girls behind.

Harper had to laugh. It was not often George was bested as such.

"He is relentless," Onyx sighed.

"Yeah," Harper giggled. "Has Fred asked you yet? Since he's monopolizing your time, I've had hardly an opportunity to ask."

"There's nothing going on. You'd be the first to know if there was."

"Have you been enjoying his company?"

"Of course! He's wonderful company," she sighed. He always was warm and so happy to see her, even if it was just sitting on the couch in the common room.

"He's in love with you."

"I'm tying not to read too far into it."

"All you'd have to do is say the word, and he'd be yours!"

Onyx looked at her feet. She knew all she had to do was asked Fred and he would lasso the moon. She loved spending time with him, and being close to, touching him. She'd be lying if she said her heart didn't beat a little faster when he was around or that she melted at the sight of his smile.

She really hadn't even admitted it to herself, but she was quickly becoming infatuated with Fred. So much so it scared her.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Harper asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Then what's holding you back?"

She bit her lip. "I don't want things to end up like my last relationship."

"Nyx, Fred is nothing like Cedric. You have nothing to worry about. All Fred care about you, that is very clear."

"It's just been something that keeps surfacing and I can't shake it," Onyx admitted lamely. "I should be over it."

"It's okay not to be over it yet. Just don't deny yourself happiness over a piece of your past."

Onyx mulled it over. She really did want to be happy, and Fred made her happier than she'd ever been. Why shouldn't she take a chance? "You're right."

"Always am," Harper grinned.

"I'm still not asking him out," she pointed out as she headed up the stairs.

Harper shook her head at her friend's stubbornness as she followed her.

As the girls were discussing the boys, the boys were doing the same about the girls.

"YOU WHAT?!" Fred cried, raking his hands over his face, beginning to pace the small space in front of his bed.

"What? It's no big deal. The whole school knows you want to snog her brains out," George shrugged from his seated position on his bed."

"Yes, but why did you tell _her_?!"

"She didn't seem to mind."

Fred stopped pacing and looked at this twin mouth agape. "What?"

"She said she'd consider it if you asked her out. She also didn't mind the rumors of you and her being together."

"She didn't?" he brightened. "Are you sure?"

"I'd ask her mate. Then maybe you'd stop moping about."

Fred ran a hand over his face. "I think I will. Tomorrow. I just want to feel things out with her tonight to make sure. Then I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Yeah you'll feel her out alright," George winked.

Fred smacked him in the back of the head on his way out of the room. "You are disgusting."

"I am a man. I have carnal needs!" he hollered, jumping up and following his twin to the common room.

"Clearly your needs are not being met."

"Clearly you need to leave my woman out of this," George defended. "Clearly you are jealous of the action I'm getting and clearly you've been repressing _your_ needs. I hear what you talk about in your sleep." George collapsed into a nearby chair.

Fred's face reddened as he sat stiffly down on the couch. He has had more than a few graphic dreams centering around Onyx and himself intertwined. "At least I know how to temper my tongue during waking hours."

"Hey! I know how to temper my tongue. I just prefer to do so in Harper's mouth."

Fred shook his head. "You're a right piece of work. It's a wonder Harper stays around."

"She likes it," he cheekily grinned.

"Highly unlikely. I say she pities you."

"At least I get to kiss my girl."

Fred stiffened. "Low blow, bro. After tomorrow, if everything goes well, I'll snog Onyx as much as I see fit.

"That's if she says yes," George chided.

Fred's face fell. "You don't think she'll say yes?"

George stared at his twin. "Fred, I honestly thought you'd be on my wavelength by now. Onyx has got your brain in a twist."

Fred rolled his eyes.

"I just don't think we should sit at home all night," Fred heard Onyx's voice echo from the portrait entrance. "It's a Thursday night, we have no homework. Let's just do something."

"I can give Harper something to do," George winked upon seeing the girls.

Harper sighed, "for the last time George, I want nothing to do with your dirty laundry," she stuck out her tongue at him, taking all the flight out of his dirty joke.

"You are cold and heartless," he pouted.

"And somehow you still find me attractive," she pecked him on the lips. "I'm going to change into normal clothes." She headed up to her room.

"She's going to be the death of me," George heaved, slumping further into the chair, as he watched Harper's retreating figure.

Fred and Onyx shared a glance. She stifled a laugh at George's ridiculousness.

"It's not funny," George rounded on the two. "She's so tempting. It's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Harper wanted to know as she reentered the common room.

"Nothing," George sulked.

"I figured as much," Harper teased, sinking onto George's lap. She tossed a gold envelope to Onyx.

"What's this?" she asked looking at the envelope. There was no return address.

"Not sure. It was on your bed," Harper answered. "Open it!"

Onyx tore open the envelope. "Merlin's beard!" she gasped. "I found what we're doing tonight." She flashed them four tickets.

Fred jumped up, "You can't be serious! How did you get these?! They were sold out when I tried to get tickets!"

"I know the drummer," Onyx said simply. "A friend of ours back home dated him once upon a time."

"Who are we going to see?" George asked.

"Weird Sisters mate!" Fred elated thrusting the tickets into George's face.

"No way," he breathed reverently. "I'm going to change."

"Me too," Fred followed George as they both sprinted up the stairs.

"I might as well change too," Onyx laughed and she headed up after the boys.

Not one to be left alone, Harper stalked up the stairs after her. Onyx quickly changed and met the boy in the Common Room and promptly headed to Hogsmead.

"This is ten times better than the Yule Ball," George whooped as they walked into The Three Broomsticks.

"I'd have to agree," Onyx agreed ruefully, knowing full well who would be at the dance. Besides, the person she wanted to be spending time with walked into the joint with her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Fred standing at the bar.

She couldn't believe that all this time she glazed over the fact he cared for her. How could she have been so blind. Onyx shook her head at the thought. He really was a looker. Shaggy red hair, lanky quidditch built frame. It was no wonder so many girls had a thing for the Weasley Twins, but Fred only seemed to have eyes for one.

Feeling her eyes on him, Fred turned to look at her. He grinned that wolfish grin that nearly brought her to her knees. The bartender interrupted his lingering gaze and handed him four butterbeers. He trotted over to the group. "Libations for my ladies," he grinned handing George the first butterbeer.

"Har har, you're so clever brother," George mocked, taking a curt drink.

Harper and Onyx exchanged a glance, both biting back a laugh as Fred handed them their drink. Fred held his bottle out and chinked it with Onyx.

Fred hardly paid attention to the band that night. He was to preoccupied studying Onyx.

"What?" she asked sensing his eyes on her for the millionth time that evening.

He grinned at her. "Nothing, nothing at all."

"When a Weasley says that, something is most definitely up." Her hands settled on her hips, cocking them in a way that drove Fred nearly to the breaking point.

Already a few times that evening, she had brushed up against him while dancing and it nearly crippled him.

"Everything alright in there?" Onyx laughed, placing a hand on his cheek.

A smirk pricked his lips. "I'm perfect, come," he beckoned, pulling her out on the dance floor.

Come breakfast the next morning, all four were exhausted.

"I can hardly keep my eyes open, but that was so worth it," George thrust his fist in the air.

Onyx yawned while nodding in agreement. Fred laughed at her antics.

"Shut it," she grinned, nudging his shoulder with hers.

"While I eat breakfast?! You two are disgusting," George bemoaned, his head falling on Harper's shoulder.

"Oh you poor baby," Harper sarcastically patted his cheek.

To some, this kind of behavior would be nauseating. Harper didn't think so as it was her best friend and Fred and really everyone else could see it coming and had no qualms. Everyone except for Cedric.

He didn't like it at all. He had hated the way Fred looked at her when Onyx was his, but he hated that look even more now that Onyx looked at Fred the same way. He had to do something about it. And soon.

Onyx felt eyes trained on her. Her gaze locked with Cedric's from across the Great Hall. "He's doing it again," she whispered to Harper.

"Again? Really?" she looked over her shoulder quickly. "What is his problem? Tosspot," she spat.

It had been happening more and more frequently, Cedric trying to garner Onyx's attention. After all he had said to her, it seemed like he wanted her back.

"Do you want me to say something to him?" Fred whispered in her ear.

She looked up at him, her lip caught in her teeth. He really did care for her. "No, it's alright," Onyx said, placing a staying hand on his knee. "He's not worth it."

"If it's making you uncomfortable, it's very much worth it."

"It's alright," Onyx grinned at him.

"So what are you guys doing tonight?" George asked biting into his eggs.

"No official plans," Onyx shrugged taking a sip of her tea.

"That's interesting now isn't it, Fred?" George raised a brow at his twin.

Fred return the glance, eyes wide seemingly to say "not now." Fred was fortunately saved by the dispersal of students to class.

"Come on you," Harper said, pulling George up by the time, "we're going to be late."

"Yes ma'am," he said, quick to follow Harper. He quickly stooped to whisper to Fred, "It's now or never mate," George nudged him in the direction of Onyx.

Fred stumbled forward and shot George a look over his shoulder. George flashed him a thumbs up.

"Can I borrow you for a moment?" Fred whispered in her ear as they began to disperse for classes."

She nodded biting her lip, following Fred out into the hallway. He ducked down an empty corridor took her hand pulling her with him.

"Fred!" she laughed as he set her up against the wall.

He rested his hand on the wall beside her head. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight?" she repeated, he heart beginning to flutter.

"Yes," he grinned.

"Nothing."

"Dinner?"

"Tonight?" she said again.

"Seven?"

"Sure," she smiled at him. He had finally asked her out.

He stooped and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Seven."

"Mhmmm," she responded dazed.

Fred let out a laugh. "Come on, you'll be late for class."

"Aren't you coming?" she asked over her shoulder as she began to walk to class.

"I'll be along. I have a few things to take care of first."

"Okay," she turned to leave again. "Tonight, then?" she asked, walking backwards down the hall.

"Tonight," Fred smiled.

She waved as she disappeared around the corner.

As her footsteps echoed further down the hall, Fred thrust his fists in the air. "Finally," he sighed happily leaning against the wall. She said yes. He was going to be going on a date with the girl he'd been infatuated with since first year.

"Have fun with my sloppy seconds," a voice spoke from the shadows, breaking Fred's revery.

"What do you want, Diggory?" Fred pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Initially I wanted to see her shoot you down," he scoffed. "Now, I see she just has poor taste."

"You're not getting her back," Fred said through his teeth, now on the defensive.

Cedric bristled, then put his hands up. "Sloppy seconds mate. I had her first." Cedric was now in Fred's face.

"I don't care," Fred barked. "I have her now."

"I will always have a piece of her you won't," Cedric contended.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked incredulously.

Cedric grinned. "You mean she hasn't told you?"

Fred's heart was about to break through his rib cage. "Told me what?" he pressed slowly, not knowing if he really wanted to know.

Cedric laughed. "I can't believe she didn't tell you I shagged her. She enjoyed herself, can't see why she didn't sing it from the rooftops."

Fred's heart stopped. Onyx shagged Cedric? "What?" he asked weakly.

"I. Bed. Her. On New Years. In your bed actually. But don't worry, I made sure to clean up." Cedric folded his arms across his chest, "Decent lay."

Fred was silent. How was this even possible?! Why would she bed Cedric when she didn't love him? What about her connection with Fred? Did he mean nothing to her?

"You can have the slag, Weasley," Cedric said, once again snapping Fred to attention. "Have fun with my leftovers."

Cedric sauntered away, knowing full well the damaged he caused.

Fred stood there stunned for a moment. With a shake of the head he made his way up to the common room.

It was empty upon arrival. Fred jogged up the stairs and laid on his bed, starring at the ceiling blankly feeling his entire world shatter.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Author's Note: **__AndTheSnakesStartToSing and IKhandoZatman, fret not! Cedric won't be with us too much longer [if you catch our drift]. We're sorry we're giving you ALL the feels, but bear in mind that things always get worse before they get better. Carry on._

"Hello? Are you dead?" a voice and swift poke roused Fred.

He slapped away George's hand.

"Geez mate," George hissed rubbing his now bright red hand. "You're going to sleep through your date if you don't get up."

"What time is it?" he groaned pulling off his robe and untying his tie.

"Quarter to seven."

"Is Onyx downstairs?" he asked running his hands through his hair.

George raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. She and Harper and I were in the common room. Why?"

"I need to talk to her," he said as he crawled out of bed to his dresser.

"Don't look so excited," George joked leaning up against the door frame.

Fred shot him a glance as he tugged on a sweater and a pair of jeans. "George, I'm really not in the mood."

George's mouth fell open. "This is Onyx we're talking about! You are going on a date with her. I'd think you'd be in better spirits."

Fred shrugged his shoulders.

"What's wrong with you, mate?"George asked now blocking Fred's exit.

"I just need to talk to her," he pushed George aside and descended the stairs.

George quickly followed, helplessly not knowing what to do.

As soon as Fred rounded the corner, Onyx's eyes were on him. She immediately smile warmly as he neared the fireplace.

"Hi," she beamed closing the distance between her and Fred.

"Hey," he said avoiding eye contact.

"Everything ok?" she asked sensing something seriously amiss.

"Not exactly." He looked at the ground. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked after a time.

Onyx's brow furrowed. "Tell you what, Fred?"

He looked at her. The hurt in his eyes was palpable. "You shagged Cedric. In my bed."

Onyx's face was as white as a sheet. All her blood was in her feet.

"No!" George exclaimed. "You got nasty with Pretty Boy? In my house?"

Harper covered his mouth with her hand. Fortunately they were the only four in the room.

"How could you?" Fred spat. "You know how I feel about you."

Onyx did her best to hold back her tears. "Fred, I'm so sorry."

He grit his teeth. "I thought you cared about me."

If it was possible, Onyx's face fell further. "Of course I care about you, Fred."

"Then how could you shag someone else? In my bed no less!" he shouted with venom.

"You weren't dating at the time," Harper interjected on her friend's behalf. "Plus she was drunk. We all were."

"It doesn't matter! I would have hoped she would have the decency to take my feelings into account."

"Diggory was her boyfriend, Fred. There's nothing wrong with shagging your boyfriends," George butted in.

"Still in my bed! You could have at least done me the courtesy and told me yourself," Fred rounded on Onyx.

"I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry, Fred. I should have told," she whispered.

"You bloody well should have! Stay away from me," he spat pointing at her. "Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even think about me."

Onyx's breath hitched, holding in a sob. "Fred-"

"Just stay away," he turned and flew up the stairs. The slamming of his door reverberated through the tower.

Harper and George sat there stunned.

"That went well," George mused.

Harper hit him in the gut. "Shut it."

He groaned, holding his stomach. "Yes, ma'am."

Harper rolled her eyes as she stood and walked to her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked placing her hands on Onyx's arms, knowing full well her friend was not.

All Onyx could do was shake her head "no". She knew if she opened her mouth, she'd surely sob.

"He's just peeved Diggory stuck it to you first," George said hugging Onyx tightly.

Harper swatted him again. "You insensitive cad!"

"What? I'm helping," he said stroking Onyx's head. "Is this helping?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said pushing against his chest.

George relinquished his grip on her.

"Is there anything I can do?" Harper wanted to know.

"No," she half smiled grimly.

"How did this get all screwy?" Harper wondered. "Who would have told him?"

"I'm surprised he didn't hear. Diggory told the whole school," Onyx sighed.

"I didn't hear. I always miss out on all the good gossip." George harrumphed.

"That's because you're thickheaded," Harper jabbed.

"Abusive relationship!" he shouted. "Wait, you said Diggory told the school?"

Onyx nodded glumly.

"I bet he told him," George surmised resolutely. "He is a tosser."

Onyx's faced paled for a second time.

"You're right!" Harper agreed. "He completely would do something like that. Especially since you broke up with him."

Onyx quickly exited the common room without a word.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Harper asked George.

"Justice."

"I feel so bad for her."

George tucked a curl behind her ear. "I know, sweet. I do too."

"How could Fred go off on her like that?"

"I know it's a shock, but it's not like she cheated on him."

"I don't like this," Harper tightened her arms around George.

"I know a few ways to take your mind off this," George quipped, dipping Harper into a kiss.

She melted into his arms.

"Cedric! Come out!" Onyx shouted, pounding her fist against the door of the Hufflepuff common room. She continued hammering away until it creaked open.

"Yes?" Cedric asked haughtily folding his arms across his chest as he slunk into the hall.

"You insufferable cad!" she hissed. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"You found out," he said dryly. "I'm not surprised Weasley squealed. Did he cry when he confronted you?"

"Why are you doing this?" she pressed angrily.

"You broke my heart. Why should you get to be happy when I'm miserable?"

"You're a bastard," she growled.

"And you're a bitch."

"I would never stoop this low."

He drew closer to her. "That's the difference between you and me, love. I like playing dirty," he grizzled into her ear.

She pushed him off and turn to leave. He forcibly caught her arm and spun her around. With his body, he pinned her to the wall.

"Get off," she struggled.

"I don't think so. I want a reprise. I want you. You were so good the first time," he pressed his lips to her neck.

She struggled against him, trying to get a limb free. He grabbed her hips and pulled them against him, leaving her hands free. She slapped him clean across the face.

Cedric took a few steps back in shock.

She glared at him as she descended the stairs leaving Cedric alone again.

"You'll come crawling back," Cedric shouted after her.

Onyx didn't dignify a response.

Unfortunately for Onyx, things did not improve in the following weeks. Fred avoided Onyx like the plague. As soon as she'd enter the room, he'd leave. He'd sit as far as possible from her in class and at meals. Everyone wondered what had happened. It was just a short time ago that Fred and Onyx were seemingly in a relationship, now they didn't even make eye contact. Rumors surfaced of affairs and the like. Now more than ever people would come up and bother Onyx for answers. She just wanted to be left alone.

Well, more than anything, she wanted things to be the way they were: Fred not upset with her, jovail, telling her how much he cared for her. Like that was going to be happening anytime soon.

"Cheer up grumpy," George poked her as he and Harper walked by her in the hall.

She smiled weakly as he wrapped his free arm around her. "My girls," he sighed.

"Is there anything we an do to cheer you up?" Harper asked from under George's other arm.

Onyx mused, "turn back time?"

"Well I can't, but if anyone could I bet Granger could," George joked.

"It's alright," Onyx exhaled. "I don't really want to deal with all the Cedric nonsense again."

"Yeah, what's up with that tosspot anyhow?" Harper asked vehemently.

Onyx had recounted the entire incident with Cedric moments after it had happened. Harper harbored a vendetta for Diggory; no one treated her best friend like that.

"He's a tosser. That's all you need to know," George scoffed.

"He's out to make my life miserable," Onyx said sadly, "and he's succeeding.

"You must have it so bad for my brother," George cracked a wry grin.

"Isn't that obvious?" Onyx shrugged.

"Let's go take your mind of things," George simpered, toting the girls down the hall.

Harper cleared her throat.

"I'm only kidding," he teased. "But really, let's go." He dragged both girls out of the castle and off the grounds to Hagrid's hut.

"George, what are you doing?" Harper pressed as he shoved the girls into the unlit fireplace.

"Floo-ing of course," he said as he stepped into the fireplace this the girls. "The Burrow," he spoke as they were engulfed in green flames and whisked away to The Burrow.

Mrs. Weasley stood at the stover working away on something. She was so involved that she didn't hear the trio floo in.

"Hi mum!" George shouted, hugging the woman from behind.

"GEORGE DON'T DO THAT!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, whopping him with a dishrag. "You're going to give me a heart attack!" She placed her hands over her heart. "Hello dears," she greeted the girls with a bear hug.

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harper returned her hug.

"What are you three doing here?" Mrs. Weasley wanted to know.

"It's Friday mum," George said biting into an apple he plucked from the table."We just needed a change of scene."

"Very good," she clapped her hands together. "Where's Fred?"

Onyx stiffened at the speaking of his name.

"He's working on something at school," George fibbed.

"He didn't come with?" Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips. "I'm surprised. He usually follows you like a shadow," she winked at Onyx. "So how are we? What are we hungry for?"

Onyx shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm down for whatever," Harper quipped cheerily.

"Pasta sounds good, mum," George added.

"Nothing sounds good to you, Onyx?" she asked the oddly quiet girl.

Onyx shook her head. "I'm not very hungry."

"Alright then. Supper should be ready soon!" She turned back to the stove, levitating a pot full of water onto the burner.

"What are we doing here, George?" Onyx pressed quietly.

"I figured you'd benefit from being away from Hogwarts for a bit," he offered.

"Thanks George, but being your house it only reminds me more of Fred."

"I didn't think about that," George ran a hand through his hair.

Onyx heart lurched at the tick, something her redhead did constantly.

"We'll just have to spend time outside of the house," Harper reasoned.

"You're so smart," George gushed planting kisses all over her face.

"George!" Harper shrieked, trying to push him off to no avail.

A shrill cry erupted from the kitchen. "You're together?!" Mrs. Weasley burst.

Harper blushed deeply.

"Yeah mum. We are. Have been officially since New Years." He stretched his arms and wrapped one around Harper.

Mrs. Weasley ran over to the couple and embraced them. She kissed Harper on the cheek, "I was beginning to think it would never happen for him." She wiped away a tear as her eyes began to water. "And you," she kissed George's cheek. "If you lose her or hurt her, I will castrate you," she pat his cheek. "Where did Onyx run off to?" she asked noticing a missing presence in the kitchen.

"I'm not sure," Harper said looking for her friend.

"Is she okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked with motherly concern.

"She and Cedric had a nasty fight and she dumped him," George recounted. "He was showboating the fact he shagged her."

"To the whole school?" Mrs. Weasley paled. "His father would be so ashamed. Wait, when she was here last, she said she didn't want to be with him anymore. Shouldn't she be happy?"

"You'd think," Harper sighed. "That's not even the worst part."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley breathed.

"She has a thing for my other half," George told his mum.

Mrs. Weasley's face lit up again. "Fred?! Really?!" She looked as if she'd die of happiness. "He's crazy about her! And she's newly single, are they together too?"

George and Harper exchanged a glance.

"What am I missing?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her face beginning to fall.

"No," Harper admitted. "Cedric told Fred about New Years and it broke his heart. Fred confronted Onyx and told her off and that he never wanted to see her again."

Mrs. Weasley's hand flew to her mouth. "No. Why would he do that?"

"He's crazy about her," Harper shrugged. "Has been for a long while."

"That makes no sense," she harrumphed.

"He's an odd bird," George joked.

"You share DNA," Harper pointed out.

"Touche, darling," George nuzzled her ear.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. At least one of her twins was happy. "I'm going to check the porch." Mrs. Weasley excused herself, walking to the back of the house.

A large wooden wrap around porch embraced the backside of the house. The view was spectacular. Snow was lightly falling, coating the tall pine trees skirting the forrest.

Onyx sat, her legs dangling over the side of the porch. Her arms and chin rested on the railing as she stared blankly ahead.

"Aren't you cold, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Not really," she answered.

Mrs. Weasley say down next to Onyx.

"George and Harper told you?"

"Mhmmm." Mrs. Weasley rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," Onyx apologized.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" she half laughed.

"Because I broke your sons heart."

"Dear, he's only reacting this way because he cares for you so. I remember the day he first met you, first year I believe. He sent me an owl telling me how funny and sweet his new friend Onyx was. He said that one day, when he was older, he was going to ask you tea," she laughed at the memory.

"He never told me that," Onyx said awestruck.

"I don't think he'd want you to know that he's been pining for the better part of five years." She paused. "He'll come around."

"I don't think so. He never wants to speak to me again," her head fell into her hands.

"You care for him that much?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Onyx nodded, "very much so. I suppose that's why this hurts so much." Tears began streaming from her eyes.

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley pulled her into a hug.

"I just don't understand why he's so upset," she wailed. "We weren't dating when I slept with Cedric."

"You are precious to him. I suppose he's upset Cedric got to you before he could."

"I feel terrible," she moaned. "I lost my best friend over something so stupid I didn't even want to do in the first place."

Mrs. Weasley pet her hair soothingly. "It will be alright, dear. He just needs some time to sort himself out. He'll come to his senses once he calms down. And when that day comes, he'll be running back to you."

"I hope you're right."

"Oh I am. I gave birth to him. I know these things."

Onyx smiled weakly and hugged Mrs. Weasley tighter. "Thank you."

"Of course."

"No I really appreciate it. I don't have a mum to cry to and utterly embarrass myself in front of," Onyx said drying her eyes on her robe, calming herself down.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. You're hurting. It's only natural," she said standing.

Onyx followed suit.

"You can come to be anytime," she continued putting her hands on Onyx's arms. "I am here for you."

"Thank you," Onyx smiled.

"Now let's get you inside," she grinned as she led Onyx indoors.

"There you are, young lady," George tsked upon her entry to the kitchen.

Onyx rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to Harper at the table. "You're not right," she muttered.

"Do NOT disrespect your father!" he pointed a finger at her. "No soup for you!"

"I thought we were having pasta, dear," Harper chided.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at the ridiculousness. She put a kettle on as she resumed dinner.

"I wish I had a change of clothes," Onyx commented. "I cannot stand these itchy woolen winter robes."

"Hmm, too bad we don't have any wells for wishing," George pondered.

"If only," Harper added. "Ta da!" she fanfared, whipping out a fresh change of clothes and tossing them to Onyx.

Onyx shook her head in amazement. "You're the absolute best." She hugged Harper on her way up the stairs.

"What? No love for dad? It was my idea," George folded his arms across his chest.

Onyx patted his shoulder, "thanks."

"You're welcome. That's all I ever asked for. Now go change."

Onyx laughed and trotted up the stairs to change. She entered the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red from crying and her mascara was smeared. Quickly, she cleaned the black smudges from under her eyes and pulled out a pair of leather leggings and thick cream cable sweater. Loosely, she tousled her curls and headed back downstairs.

The kitchen was empty on her return.

"They are changing," Mrs. Weasley said setting a cup of tea on the table. "Come sit," she beckoned.

"Feeling better?" she asked as Onyx took a sip of her tea.

"Slightly. More than anything, I need to distract myself."

"Atta girl. Supper is almost ready," she grinned over her shoulder.

"Good, I'm starved," George said plopping down in the seat next to Onyx. Harper took the other.

"Thank you," Onyx thanked the pair. "I really appreciate the distraction."

"We love you," George said ruffling her hair.

Onyx grinned.

"We're crashing here for the weekend," George announced.

"I packed for you," Harper grinned.

"Tomorrow, we hike!" George said with resolution.

Onyx laughed lightly into her tea cup.

"What? You don't think I can hike?"

"You don't strike me as the intrepid mountain venturesome type. I'd pay big money to see you hike a mountain," Onyx laughed.

"You'll be eating your words tomorrow," George warned. "I doubt you could even reach the top."

Harper snorted. "You'd be wrong. Onyx and I go camping every summer and we hike all over the place."

"Mhmm," Onyx agreed.

"Well then. We'll see about that," George said snidely.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Author's Note: **__A warm thank you to our newest fave and follow, ArtBang! Thank you so much for your kind comment, we appreciate your kind words! Laura, we are glad our endings can keep you interested! We like making y'all curious. AndTheSnakesStartToSing, Mrs. Weasley is the ultimate. We wish she was our mother. G&H are too cute for words sometimes; it's that Weasley charm. Cedric will be far less involved soon, we promise! And poor poor Freddie; he'll cheer up soon :). KayKay25, hopefully we didn't keep you waiting too long! You're going to have to wait and see what's in store for Onyx and Fred; it's coming up very soon!_

_Thank you all who have been reading, following, faving, commenting, etc. We cannot thank you enough for the warm response! We are cooking up a few new things for you in the pipeline, so please stay tuned!_

_Carry on! -L&R_

The weekend was spent hiking around in the woods on The Weasley's property. It was perfect. The company, the outdoors, the gentle snowfall. Thanks to George and Harper.

They were so perfect for each other. At every opportunity, Harper would trip George, causing him to fall face first into the snow. He'd sputter, stand up, chase Harper around pelting her with snowballs. Once he caught her, he'd throw her down into the snow and snog her.

Onyx couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She gravely missed her Weasley twin.

She was more than thrilled that Harper had found someone who could keep up with her and make her as happy as George did.

Harper was up in the treehouse bombarding George with snowballs when Errol was stuck in the crossfire. He crash landed into George's chest knocking him to the ground.

Rachel nearly fell out of the treehouse with laughter as George struggled to shake Errol free.

"Don't struggle," Onyx stifled a laugh. She walked over to George and untangled Errol's talons from George's scarf. Errol, finally freed, shook out his feathers and flapped away uphased.

"What's this?" Onyx mused plucking a parchment scroll from George's scarf.

"Let me see," George took the scroll from her and untied it.

"What does it say?" Harper wanted to know climbing down the ladder from the fort.

"It's from Fred," he sighed. "He's wondering where I am. He wants to talk about you know who." He nodded towards Onyx.

She blanched, "Does he talk to you about me a lot?"

George opened his mouth to speak, but Onyx interrupted.

"Actually, on second though, I don't want to know," she put her hands up and headed back to The Burrow.

"We probably should be heading back anyway," Harper said sensibly.

"Too right, dear," he said tossing an arm around her waist following Onyx.

Nothing changed much in the following days. Onyx's birthday came and went without any fuss or word from Fred. George and Harper of course remembered, providing her a camera [something she had desperately wanted] in hopes to lift her spirit a bit. Even Mrs. Weasley had sent her something: a pair of mittens and a heavy knit scarf. The note attached read:

A hug from em to you.

Happy Birthday Dear!

All will be well, you'll see.

-Mrs. W

Onyx wore the scarf for the rest of the day, definitely needing a hug at the moment. Two weeks from then was going to be the roughest.

It was the most dreaded of all days. V-Day. The day where sickly pink and red hearts were plastered all over the walls. The masses snogging in the halls. It sickened Onyx and Harper to no end. Harper didn't mind it too much this year and George had everything to do with that, but she still despised the antiquated ritual of it all. In fact, she spat upon it.

"Aww, come on Harps. It's not so bad," George joked, looping his arm around her waist. "Won't be so bad this year. You've got me." He sent her a sly wink.

She rolled her eyes.

"Just you wait. You roll your eyes now," he teased, hissing her temple.

She grinned goofily. "What are you going to do tonight?" she asked Onyx

"Oh. Well, I guess I'm on my own tonight. I'll probably just read or something," she sighed.

"If I wasn't planning on charming the pants of Harper I would invite you to come along with us," George offered.

"You better not be planning on anything that involves pants coming off," Harper warned, sending him a look that could kill.

"It was a figure of speech," George pointed out.

"You behave," she reprimanded. She looked over at Onyx, who was longingly looking across the hall. Harper followed her gaze. She was staring at Fred as we walked down the hall. He didn't even look over at them. "Nyx?"

"Hmm?" she said snapping out of it.

"You okay?" Harper said nudging her shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so," Onyx sighed again. The entire ordeal of Fred not speaking to her was really starting to wear on her. She hated that he was still mad at her about the whole Cedric incident. It was understandable that he was upset, I mean come on, Cedric banged her in his bed. And the fact that Fred was in love with her and some other guy got to her first. In short, she felt horrid about the whole situation. She longed for the days when Fred was jovial and joking around her, when they had those moments that they found themselves in so often. She felt her heart break a little and tears pricked her eyes. "I think I've gotta go," she said, leaving George and Harper alone in the hallway.

Onyx hurried along through the hallway to the common room.

"Onyx! Wait up!" a voice called after her. She turned and was nearly bowled over by Romilda Vane.

"Hi?" Onyx greeted, not entirely sure why the girl was chasing her down the hall. Hardly any words had been exchanged between the two.

"Hi! Can I ask you a silly little question?"

Onyx raised an eyebrow. What was she on about? "Sure?"

"Are the rumors true? About you and Fred?"

Onyx pinched the bridge of her nose. "Romilda I don't mean to be rude, but I don't really want to get into this with you."

Romilda grinned. "Oh nothing lik that. I just wanted to confirm that you are not dating."

Onyx felt a pang in her chest. "We- we were never together to begin with."

"Oh," she clasped her hands together brightly, "so you wouldn't mind if I ask him to be my Valentine? I wanted to check with you, us girls got to stick together and all."

The blood ran from Onyx's face. She hadn't really considered that there were other girls interested in Fred. He had long only be interested in her that it never crossed her mind that he could be with someone else. Hurt and jealousy ripped through her. She didn't want her Fred to be with anyone other than her, but she couldn't deny him happiness. She cared too much to see him miserable. "That's okay I guess."

Romilda squealed with delight. "Tah!" she patted Onyx's shoulder as she scurried away, undoubtedly in search for Fred.

Onyx's shoulders slumped as she watch the twit of the girl retreat. She did mind. She mind very much. She wanted to be with Fred, no on else. Only Fred wouldn't even look in her direction. All the twitter-pated couples were making her sick. What could she do?

"Word on the street is you're alone this Valentine's Day," a voice next to her made her jump.

She knew that voice and instantly bristled. "What do you want?"

"Such venom on a day that's supposed to be all about love," Cedric tsked now moving to face her.

Onyx folded her arms across her chest. Today was shaping up to be more a mess than she anticipated.

"Come to dinner with me," he said. It was not a request.

Inwardly she blanched. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Because you still want me."

Onyx scoffed and side stepped around him. Cedric made up the distance between them in a few strides.

"Please leave me alone," she said lowly, not wanting to make a scene in front of the entire hallway populous. Too much of her private life was already public knowledge. "I thought I made it clear I want nothing to do with you."

"Well what about what I want?" he countered, his strides falling in step with hers.

"That's not my concern."

Cedric caught her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom, Shutting the door behind them, he pulled her to him. "I'm trying to be accommodating."

"What ever for?" she lamented. "You made it very clear I wasn't up to your standards anyway. Let go of me!" She wrenched her arm free of his vicing grip.

"Is that what you're upset about? You know me and my temper, I pop off sometimes," he ran his knuckles down his cheek.

Onyx slapped his hand away. "Stop it."

"Nyx love, don't be like that. I love you."

Was he really doing this again? He had been nothing but cold to her since their break up and run in and here he was pawing at her. "What are you on?"

Cedric's face contorted.

"I don't know what you're playing at but I don't reciprocate your feelings. We've been through for months. I'm not a trophy for your to win," she turned to leave and he caught her arm again.

His eyes flamed. "You think I can stand idly by and be usurped by a Weasley?"

Onyx shook her head. "This is clearly about your ego and not about me at all. Weasley is no longer a concern of yours thanks to your actions. He won't even look at me now."

It pained her to say it out loud. Cedric didn't care about her, she didn't want him to. It only added to the fact that she was woefully more alone than she thought. "Let go," she demanded, her voice starting to break and her eyes starting to tear.

"Not until you take me back," he stated, pulling her closer to him 'til his lips hovered over hers. He leaned in.

"Cedric, shove off!" she pushed his face away. "Leave me be!" she pried his fingers off her upper arm and flew from the room.

"Just the girl I was looking for," a voice simpered, quickly catching up to Onyx's rapid pace.

"Malfoy," I'm really not in the mood," she huffed_, _quickening her pace. Unfortunately he followed.

"We got on so nice at the Diggory Christmas party. I figured you might want to go to dinner with me tonight," he put it out there.

Onyx stopped walking. Malfoy crashed into her, catching her around the waist before she fell to the ground.

"You've got to be joking," she breathed.

"No, I'm not," he said tightening his arms around her waist. "Just dinner, no commitment. I cant stand the thought of a single beauty like yourself being alone tonight."

She shoved his arms off of her. "Malfoy, I'd really rather be alone." She hurried off as quickly as she could.

Throughout the course of the day, she had nine other offers for dinner. All of which she turned down. She skulked to her room, fit to stay in all night.

"So what is this grand romantic gesture you have planned?" Harper asked of George as she took his hand after exiting the Three Broomsticks.

"Dinner at our haunt, the end. No more romance for you," George winked at her.

"Fine by me," Harper said, leaning into his shoulder.

George looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You're simply satisfied by dinner?"

She nodded. "As long as I get to spend time with you, I don't care what we're doing."

George was taken aback. He didn't have much experience in the dating department, but the thought all girls wanted to be showered with gifts and grand gestures. Harper didn't fit the mold.

"My favorite times spent with you are simply that. Sitting in the common room, you scheming up your next prank while I'm knitting, walking to class together. All the little things mean so much more than grand gestures," she told him with a silly grin on her face.

Her grin was infectious. He found himself with the same silly grin on his face as he looked at his girlfriend. He didn't understand how such a girl fell into his lap. She was a looker, George kicked himself for not noticing the curly brunette before. With her striking high cheekbones and all knowing hazel eyes, she was a stunner. His stunner. Quickly, he pressed a swift kiss to her temple.

"Too bad. You get the quality time and the grand gestures. I suppose you're going to have to deal with that," he whispered into her hair.

Harper involuntarily shuddered. That ginger had such a hold on her. She was over the moon that things were going so well with George. Harper had more than a few hesitations at first, but now she could see how plainly obvious it was that he cared for her.

"So again I ask, what is the big surprise?" Harper pressed.

"Now it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" George smirked, opening the door to the castle and ushering her in. "Now, up the stairs with you."

Harper rolled her eyes and trotted up the stairs. She waited for George at the top of the stairs and he grabbed her hand and took off running down the hall. He slid to a stop and Harper into his arms.

"Are you ready?" he asked batting his eyelashes.

"Most definitely," she grinned.

Returning her grin, he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. He gently nibble at her bottom lip earning a light laugh from Harper.

"Harper Underhill, I present to you the most romantic night of your life," George fanfared throwing open the door to the Room of Requirement.

Harper's jaw dropped. "George, did you do all of this for me?" she awed looking about the room. A large screen hung at the front of the room with an enchanted projector beamed a countdown on the screen. "How did you even know what a movie theatre looked like?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I actually pay attention in Muggle Studies," he joked taking a seat in one of the theatre chairs. "Come sit," he said patting the one next to him.

Harper couldn't help but smile as she joined him. "What are we watching this evening?" she wanted to know.

"Well my sweet," he began handing her a butterbeer and a chocolate frog, "you're absolute favorite!"

"_What's Up Doc?_" Harper squealed. "How?"

George smirked, "magic." He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips as he wove his fingers in between hers.

The lights began to dim and movie began to play. Harper looked over at George with a grin on her face. Good gracious had he done good. He had even paid attention to her favorite things. Who could ask for more? Everything about him made her heart leap. He was funny, thoughtful, and an all around good friend. In this tender moment, she knew how she felt more clearly than ever.

Harper squeezed his hand that was entwined with hers, "I love you," she whispered.

George's head whipped around, eyes wide and wild. He studied her face for a second before immediately looking away. "Damn it," he muttered.

Her stomach dropped. Did she say it too soon? Worse, did he not lover her? Her pulse sped up and she felt as if she'd vomit.

Finally George spoke, "I want to say it first."

Harper looked at him, all words leaving her mouth.

"I love you, Harper," George gushed capturing her lips in a breathtaking kiss.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Author's Note: **__IKhandoZatman, Onyx won't be suffering for too much longer. We solemnly swear! Carry on._

How it ended up being spring so quickly, Onyx would never know. The second trial in the Tri-Wiz tournament had came and went without much interest to her; she hadn't even attended. All she heard was that Cedric won [a point which she also didn't care about] and that the twins had started some sort of betting ring and they were profiting handsomely.

It was April now, the first to be precise, the twins 17th birthday.

"ONYX!" George brandished sliding into the common room, Harper only a few steps behind. "Look at this!" he flashed a certificate in front of her face.

"I can't read it if you're jostling it about," she laughed. She grabbed the parchment and put it at a distance she could read. "You passed. I cannot believe."

"You better believe it! And I passed with flying colors."

"Cheers," she congratulated.

"Thanks!" he beamed as he ran off to show the rest of the population of the common room.

Harper settled on the arm of the chair Onyx was resting in. "He has showed every person between the test and here."

Onyx looked over at George shoving his certificate in the faces of the first years. "I don't think it's going to stop anytime soon."

Harper let out a giggle. "No I don't think so either." She looked at her friend knowing exactly what she was thinking. "Fred passed to you know."

Onyx averted her gaze. "Good to know. I figured he would. He's been much better about studying since I quit tutoring him."

Harper studied her friend's face. It had been nearly four months since Fred had said even one word to Onyx. It had been so hard on her. "Are you going to be joining us tonight? George wanted to throw a party in celebration of his apparating license and his birthday."

Onyx bit her lip, "is Fred going to be there?"

Harper shrugged, "I have no idea. He said he had some sort of plans but he was planning on being there later."

"A date more than likely," Onyx harrumphed.

"Come on, Onyx, have you even seen him with another girl?"

"No, but that doesn't mean he's not."

Harper shook her head. "You are ridiculous. Are you coming out tonight or not?"

Onyx weighed her options. She did want to celebrate with George and Harper, but with the change of Fred being there, she didn't want to risk it. "Nah, I'll pay my penance to King George later for missing his birthday."

Evening rolled around and Harper had taken George out for some sort of birthday shenanigans. Fred was nowhere to be seen. That left Onyx by herself. She sat on her bed reading a book about thestrals and other magical creatures when a knock at the door diverted her attention.

"Come in," she called.

Neville Longbottom waltzed into the room. "Hello Onyx, I have something for you," he said handing her a bouquet of moonflowers.

She was taken aback a bit. "Thank you, Neville. You didn't have to."

"I knew they were your favorite since you talked about them in Herbology."

"What's the occasion?" she smiled, taking a whiff of the fragrant blooms.

"No reason. You just seemed so sad lately, I thought you could stand some cheer. I didn't want you to feel alone , or that someone didn't notice how down you were," he explained sitting down next to her.

Alone. That word stuck out more than any other word Neville had said. It was a feeling that plagued Onyx a lot. Alone, she hated being alone. No parents, no one to tell her they loved her. She had friends, and she loved them dearly but it just wasn't the same.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Neville said getting up.

"Thank you again, Neville. This was really sweet."

"Anytime," he said casually as he left her.

Figuring that her flowers would need some water, she got a vase and filled it with water. As she slipped the flowers in the vase, she noticed a note tied to one of the stems. She untied it and it read:

_My Darling Onyx,_

_Please do me the pleasure of meeting me in The Owlry _

_at 8:00. _

_With Adoration,_

_Your Secret Admirer _

_P.S. Don't wear any nice clothes as owls tend to have a lot of droppings. _

Merlin's beard, what was going on? Being April Fool's this had to be a joke. It had to. There was no way the Neville would be asking her out. He was nice and all, but he wasn't who she wanted to be asking her out.

Should she even go? She really didn't want to, but part of her would have felt awful for standing up whoever sent her the flowers.

She paused, checking the clock on the wall. It was seven thirty now. It would be eight by the time she changed and got to The Owlry. She got up, got dressed, and left her room.

It was eight o'clock on the dot when she reached The Owlry. The snow was blowing around violently; it was uncharacteristic for April. Seeing no one, she walked out on to the terrace surrounding the tower and saw a tall shadowy figure standing with their back towards her.

"Neville," she began, "I had no idea this is what you were planning. I'm flattered."

The figure turned around. "Well, that's all very nice."

Onyx was confused. The voice that graced her ears was not that of Neville, but of…

"Lumos," she commanded. The light of her wand reflected of bright ginger hair. "Fred?"

"What? Were you really expecting it to be Neville?" he laughed.

"Well, he was the one who gave me flowers."

Fred grinned. "Those were from me, darling."

Onyx was stunned. "I, I thought you hated me," she whispered.

"Never." He winked at her. "I could never hate you."

"Fred, about New Years, I'm so sor-"

He shushed her, "Don't worry about it. It's in the past." He paused. "Now, are you ready?"

"For what?"

"Come with me," he smiled at her taking her hand.

"We're not staying here?" Onyx wondered in tow.

"No," he laughed, "it's far too cold for what we're going to be doing." He looked down at their mitten entwined hands and smiled. "I'm so glad you decided to come along."

"I have to say, my curiosity got the better of me."

"What, that Neville was going to take you on a date?"

Onyx smirked. "Hey, he's a nice guy. Any girl would be lucky to date him."

Fred stopped in the middle of the staircase. "Are you saying you'd rather be with Neville than with me?"

"No!" Onyx hastened. "I'm glad it's you."

He grinned.

"I've missed you," she said softly.

His grin widened. "Come on, I don't want you to freeze."

Fred didn't let go of her hand until they came upon the Room of Requirement. The doors opened to reveal a studio. A large white sheet was spread out in the middle of the room. Buckets of every color paint lined the side of the sheet.

"Fred, what is all of this?" Onyx wondered breathlessly.

"Quality time with you," he smiled as he pulled her into the room. He turned to grab some paint brushes and she stood there taking it all in. "This sheet isn't going to paint itself," he joked tossing her a paint brush. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said scurrying away to a large phonograph in the corner. He put the needle down on a vinyl and smooth jazz came pouring out of the bell. "Can't paint without mood music," he sent Onyx a gigantic smile.

She found herself unable to resist giggling.

"Let's get started," he said jogging over to her side.

They painted for hours, spending time together laughing and joking around like old times. Onyx was beside herself with glee. She never thought Fred would talk to her again, and here he was. It was safe to say that her feelings had turned into a free fall.

It was safe to say that Fred had been falling as well. He had always cared for her immensely, and when he heard that she had slept with Cedric, his heart had smashed. He was determined that he would squelch any feelings he had for her. It was easier said than done. Connections like that are hard to kill. He decided that the now, newly single Onyx was worth it. So he made his move.

"Hey Onyx."

"Hmm?" she said lifting her head.

Fred grinned and quickly put a small blue paint dot on the tip of her nose. He laughed at her facial reaction.

"What was that for?" she laughed.

"Oh nothing," he said turning his attention back to painting.

Onyx saw her opportunity to retaliate. She painted a red streak down the side of his face. She jumped to her feet ready to be on the defensive.

"You are dead, Atwood!" Fred shouted chasing after her, but not before stooping to pick up the bucket full of blue paint.

"Fred, don't you dare!" she shrieked as he came towards her with the bucket of paint. She thought quickly, "Accio paint can!" The red can of paint flew to her hand. She quickly stuck her paint brush out and before he could stop himself, he ran right into it, splattering red paint all over himself.

"Now you've done it," he sputtered, paint flying out of his mouth.

"Freddie, be nice," she pleaded as he cornered her.

He stared into her face. "Not a chance," he said painting a blue mustache on her upper lip just before pouring the can of paint on her head. He ran away for she even had a chance to react.

She wiped the paint from her eyes and went after him. The paint fight escalated. The floor was slick with red and blue paint. Fred's hair was redder than even thought possible and there was hardly a surface on Onyx that wasn't doused in blue paint. Onyx collapsed to the floor in a hysterical heap. From all the running and all the laughing, she could hardly breathe. Fred sat down next to her winded from the same.

"I'm sorry I painted your mouth red," she snickered.

He eyed her from the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry I painted your mouth blue," he laughed.

Her head titled back as she laughed. He loved that sound, her laughing. It was the most carefree and wonderful sound he'd ever heard. No other girl he knew would spend an evening with him defacing a bed sheet, ending in a massive paint fight. Most girls would whine about being covered in paint, and here Onyx was laughing hysterically not caring that her hair was caked with blue paint. Actually, she was trying to get her hair to stand up in a mohawk at the moment. She was succeeding. Fred looked over at her and snickered. She caught his eye.

"Why are we so weird?" she asked between laughs, her mohawk falling into her eyes.

"I have no idea," he answered, not able to contain his own laughter.

They laughed and their gales began to subside. A quiet moment passed between the two. Onyx thought to herself at how perfect an evening this was. Cedric never would have done anything like this with her. Fred knew her better than any other guy out there. And now he was here with her, covered in paint. After all he has done for her, she had to let him know how much she cared.

"Want to make purple?" she asked spontaneously.

"Do I what?" Fred said caught off guard.

Onyx didn't respond, just pulled his collar and pushed her lips up against his.

Fred was in a word stunned. He really had no idea what was happening. They were just before joking around and now Onyx had her lips on his, her hands in his paint covered hair. Hoping he hadn't spoiled their first kiss, he quickly kissed her back, pulling her closer to him. His mouth moved over hers softly as his hands held her waist securely.

"Fred Weasely, I am absolutely crazy about you," Onyx breathed as their lips parted. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize it."

He grinned at her and pulled her into another heated kiss. He caught her bottom lips and tugged on it gently and his hand rested gently on her neck securing her lips to his.

"Well, this is the best birthday gift I could have asked for," he laughed breathily as he pulled away quickly before attaching his lips to hers once more.


End file.
